Atop the dam is a quite impressive statue of a lion. It looks off into the distance toward what at the time would have been the border with Prussia. The city of Eupen, the capitol of the German-speaking area of Belgium, catches this glance of the lion now. Germany is still not far away. The statue is made of sandstone and had to be de- and reconstructed in the 1970’s when the dam was heightened.
Although at the time people made fun of the engineers for over engineering the dam, the caution that was taken then has been important in more recent years. In the Spring of 2021 the Ardennes experienced what weathermen were calling a “water bomb”. The area received more than 20 centimeters of water in 48 hours. This was far more than the many little rivers and creeks, which usually simply pass by and through the various villages and campgrounds in the area like a gaggle of geese. Instead, the waterways became raging rivers, flooding villages, cities and any campground in its path.
Everything happened very quickly. At the dam, they weren’t sure if they should release water or not. In the end this became quite a discussion. It didn’t really matter to many down stream from the higher waters. Everything was overrun. Our colleagues were down at camp the morning that it happened and were awake early enough to escape on time.
This week we will probably visit the dam with the kids from camp and walk the length of the dam talking about water, nature, keeping aware and the care that God has for all of us. And we will have a good look at the giant lion statue before heading back to camp.
No comments:
Post a Comment