State Aid Announced for Individuals Affected by Tornado in Southern Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Government has announced that is is making financial aid available to people affected by the tornado that hit the municipalities of Pétange and Kaerjeng on Friday; this follows the Ministry of Economy's reminder earlier today of the financial aid available to businesses affected by the tornado.

Indeed, at its meeting on Saturday, the Luxembourg Cabinet declared the tornado a natural disaster and calamity. In this context, concerned individuals can request social assistance from the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region. This aid is intended solely for the replacement of basic necessities for affected individuals who have their main residence at the place of the disaster and whose economic situation is fragile.

Applications must be submitted by 1 November 2019 at the latest to the Ministry of Family, Integration and Greater Region, L-2919 Luxembourg. These can also be made via tel.: 247-86523 or email: secretariatsolidarite@fm.etat.lu. The necessary form is available on the Ministry's website.

In addition, the Ministry of Housing is offering several grants for some renovation work, depending on the socio-economic situation of the affected individuals and the size of the house. Those concerned can contact the housing assistance service at Service des aides au logement, L-1741 Luxembourg or via tel.: 800-21010 or they can download the necessary forms from guichet.lu.

To summarise the situation to date, the Government Crisis Unit set up following the tornado has announced that, following the large mobilisation of resources and personnel, a large number of interventions were still carried out until late on Sunday evening and early this morning. At 10:00, the Operations Management Centre of the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS) reported about a quarter of the remaining requests to be processed by the emergency services.

In total, more than 100 people from the CGDIS have been deployed in the field today. Since this morning, they have been supported by the army as well as 60 agents and about twenty Technisches Hilfswerk vehicles from Germany, at the request of the Unit. The main objective today has been the covering and closing of damaged roofs. 

Circulation in and around the affected streets remains very difficult. As such, the Crisis Unit has reiterated its appeal that motorists avoid the area which remains under close surveillance of the Grand Ducal Police. While waiting for the completion of works on collapsed pylons and high-voltage lines, the Crisis Unit has reminded that these are strictly off limits.

The Crisis Unit has also recalled that the number 112 is reserved for emergency calls only and that any additional requests should be sent to the hotline via tel. 8002-8080. The towns of Pétange and Käerjeng have also set up dedicated helplines via tel.: 501-2512222 (Pétange) and tel.: 621-455716 (Kaerjeng). The Psychological Support Group similarly took care of several people after the events over the last days. Psychological support teams are available to anyone who requests the service via the hotline.

Finally, Sudgaz is currently working on gas recovery in the affected areas of the municipalities of Pétange and Käerjeng. In order to avoid accidents, concerned individuals should not reopen their gas pipes on their own, but wait for professional intervention. Questions on this subject should be addressed to the Sudgaz helpline via tel. 556-65575.