Belgium to draw up new disaster plans

1 September 2004

BRUSSELS – Belgium’s plans for dealing with major peacetime disasters are set to be overhauled, it was reported on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Patrick Dewael said the country’s current disaster repsonse strategies are more than 40 years old and needed updating to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The importance of an effective response from emergency teams was highlighted by the Ghislenghien gas explosion in July, which left 22 people dead.

Several firefighters and police officers were among those injured and killed as they tried to save civilians.

Dewael has asked a consortium of experts from the Catholic University of Leuven, the Free University of Brussels and Ghent University to carry out a detailed study of Belgium’s disaster response policy.

The team will upgrade a computer model pinpointing the risks that emergency services may have to tackle.

Dewael also announced the creation of two new civil protection units, one at Hasselt and another at Gembloux.

Subject: Belgian news