During a tornado between Sint-Katelijne-Waver and Putte, Belgium, on Wednesday afternoon, at least two growers were severely affected. Paulanco suffered significant damage, with one grower losing 40 years of life's work in just one minute, as reported over the phone.
"At 4:33 PM, the tornado struck. One greenhouse is completely down, shifted two meters. In the other greenhouse, the glass is completely shattered. The structure has collapsed, and in other parts, the glass is also gone. The back is also gone."
This is an account of the damage by Agnes, the wife of grower Paul Houtmeyers, conveying the pain and shock through the phone. Miraculously, no injuries were reported at the company. "I had just left the greenhouse ten minutes ago. There was no staff working. The tomato plants were supposed to arrive today", she told on Thursday.
Tornado
Shortly before 5:00 PM, the tornado swept through the area, tearing off roofs, and debris scattered. Over a stretch of about 4 kilometers, the roofs of many homes were torn off, according to the municipality of Sint-Katelijne-Waver. About forty homes were affected. Two homes are uninhabitable, and the residents are being accommodated by family. Paulanco seems to be the most affected horticultural company on Thursday morning. Additionally, a smaller greenhouse with half a hectare of cold glass has also been significantly affected.
While one grower is affected, another breathes a sigh of relief. "It has been very local," a colleague from the area states. "One greenhouse is seriously damaged, but 500 meters away, another greenhouse has no broken glass."
Glass keeps on falling
Insurance company Hagelunie visited the grower on Thursday afternoon. Even by then, glass kept on falling from the broken premisses. Incidentally, all the grower's spare glass has also been broken.
A drone had already flown over the company, and greenhouse builders had been contacted. Repairing is not yet possible on Thursday due to the danger, and also there is still no cleanup of the shattered greenhouses, according to the information received with the photos. "We are not allowed and cannot do anything for now. Glass is still falling." The expectation by the end of Thursday is that everything will need to be demolished.
"The drive is still there"
In a video that appeared in Flemish media, including Het Nieuwsblad, we see grower Paul Houtmeyers with a helmet briefly in the greenhouse. He assesses the damage. When asked if he still sees a future now that forty years of life's work has been destroyed, he says: "Yes, actually. The drive is still there."
The grower emphasizes the perseverance even in an interview with the Flemish trade magazine Boer & Tuinder. There, the grower, who receives a lot of assistance from colleagues, such as those willing to help with glass removal, mentions that on Friday, a greenhouse builder will install an emergency facade in the company's shed. Freezing temperatures are expected, and otherwise, the heating system may freeze.
The article reveals the exact extent of the damage. Of the 9,600 square meter greenhouse, 7,000 square meters collapsed in a short time. Of the 12,600 square meter greenhouse, which is newer, 4,000 square meters were destroyed. In the smaller of the two greenhouses, Paul grows beef tomatoes, while in the other, he grows vine tomatoes.
Grower Paul is also aware of damage at a colleague's place, Guido Verelst. There, too, the greenhouse was destroyed.