Survivors recall escape, ponder future after Europe's floods

Survivors of the massive flooding that crashed through parts of Western Europe are confronting haunting memories and the daunting task of cleaning up and making repairs

PEPINSTER, Belgium -- Paul and Madeline Brasseur were at home with their two sons in the Belgian town of Pepinster when the water “came all of a sudden” late in the evening. It "was like a tsunami,” the way it entered the house and kept rising instead of retreating, said Paul Brasseur, 42. The family went upstairs and kept seeking safety during the night as the water climbed steadily below them. They ended up on the roof, watching. “We started to see buildings collapsing, people on the rooftops, buildings collapsing, falling into the water,” Brasseur said.