An institution in the region… The Salt Paradise, ravaged by floods, is no longer one. Water has invaded this space covered with 15 tons of salt from the Himalayas and the Dead Sea located in an old 200-year-old vaulted cellar, rue du Village in Aubange.
It has now been 14 years since this salt cave, presenting a unique concept in Belgium, opened its doors.I had never seen torrential rain like that, it was mind-blowing.“, comments Bernard Baillieux. And for good reason, in the memory of Aubangeois sixty-somethings, this meteoric rise in water levels is historic.
The cave took on water from all sides.”Only part of the wall was not touched. All the salt had to be removed. Everything will have to be rebuilt.“, laments the man who opened the establishment with his wife. Since then, it is their daughter who has taken up the torch.
A company is expected to install powerful dehumidifiers inside the cave. It is difficult to estimate at this stage, but the Salt Paradise should close its doors for at least two months. Everything will have to be rebuilt. As for the amount of damage? It is also difficult to estimate precisely, for the moment. One thing is certain, it will be quite substantial.
Aubange heavily affected by storms this Saturday evening: streets transformed into rivers (photos & videos)
Hundreds of soggy shoes
In Athus, several businesses in the city centre were also affected. Like the “Empreinte Chaussures” store (formerly Chaussures Lichtfus) located on the main street. At first, Daniel Claren and his wife Micheline Fries did not realise the extent of the damage. It must be said that they had a lot to do at home in Guerlange.We mopped until 4am, the merchant explains to us. I made a few phone calls, and I thought it had been to the main street in Athus.“
Sunday morning, bad surprise. Water entered the store, up to 50 centimeters in places.I thought there were a hundred shoes soaked with water. But the further I go, the more there are, confided the trader this Monday, early afternoon. The water has seeped into the cellars. We had stored the winter goods on pallets, but the water has risen. I would say that we have 300 to 400 pairs of shoes affected..”
On the main street, the water rose at a crazy speed, but went down just as quickly.Luckily it didn’t last another half hour. There was no damage to the furniture, but it was borderline.“
The timing is really bad for businesses, with the start of the sales.”The start of the sales is a very important period for us.underlines Daniel Claren. They already started before us in France and the Grand Duchy! We absolutely must be able to open tomorrow (Editor’s note: this Tuesday).”
These floods are a new blow for the independent traders affected. They have not yet fully recovered from the Covid period, or from price inflation. Not to mention the competition from the internet and from the biggest brands.
