The Luxembourg government wants to provide more preventive advice about extreme weather situations depending on the season, so that private individuals can also prepare for potential dangers. In autumn, the risk of flooding is particularly high, as Environment Minister Serge Wilmes and representatives of the Water Management Agency warned at a press conference on Thursday.
This year's summer set records in terms of temperatures, but also in terms of drought. Many rivers and streams dropped to low water levels or dried out completely. But the rain's return this autumn does not necessarily mean everything will go back to normal. In fact, the extremely dry ground increases the risk of flooding, warns Christophe Gilbertz of the Water Management Agency:
"Unfortunately, even now when it rains, the rain cannot infiltrate the soil directly, because the soil is already so dry, especially in the upper layers. This means that even if it were to rain extremely heavily, as heavily as we had in September 2025, for example, such rain cannot be absorbed by the ground so easily, it would then run off superficially. That is why this is problematic and could also lead to flooding."
The flood warning website inondations.lu has been updated with more realistic forecasts and better capacities to render it more accessible and user-friendly. The website allows the public to inform themselves on current weather situations and observe flood risks in real time.
In general, the government wants to focus on supplying better seasonal advice, adapted to the situations which become more frequent depending on the time of year, and helping to prevent catastrophes. Climate change means that extreme weather situations will become more frequent and realistic, so the government offers a number of support measures. Environment minister Serge Wilmes said:
"There is financial assistance to install barriers in front of your doors, in front of your windows, and you also get advice. It is important to know that you are not alone. The government has put measures in place that you can use as a citizen, but we must constantly raise awareness about them, so that everyone knows that they exist. That is also the purpose of today's new seasonal information point."
The website offers advice on possible measures and information on how to access them, and the Geoportal also offers details on where the risk zones are, Claude Schortgen of the Water Management Agency explained:
"On the website you can simply put in your address and it will zoom in on the map, where you can click through individual layers to see what sort of risks are in your area and whether they are current."
Whilst it is difficult to provide specific advice as every situation is different, there are some measures one can take when the alarm is raised, for example, clearing out basements, erecting barriers, or switching off the electricity.
