The Storm Eunice, which hit northwestern Europe, left at least 16 dead this Saturday afternoon, as well as significant material damage and massive power outages.
Authorities from various countries reported 16 deaths due to Eunice: four in Poland, two in Germany, four in the Netherlands, three in England, one in Ireland and two in Belgium.
According to Belgian media, a man hit by a solar panel that had blown up in Ghent died today from the impact. Many of these deaths were caused by trees falling on vehicles.
The storm formed in Ireland and passed through parts of the United Kingdom on Friday, then through northern France and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg) before continuing towards Denmark and Germanywhere the northern third of the country was placed on red alert until Saturday.
#StormEunice poses an increased risk to rough sleepers in London.
If you see someone you’re worried about – contact @Tell_StreetLink.
Your alert will be sent on to outreach teams who will help get them into safe accommodation.
Here’s how it works: pic.twitter.com/VHXfKzuTrZ
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) February 18, 2022
Germany
In Germany, “More than a thousand kilometers of railways were damaged“, according to a spokesman for the Deutsche Bahn railway company, mainly due to the fall of trees that partially paralyzed traffic in the north of the country.
However, the peak of the storm has already passed and the alert (level three on a scale of four) issued by the German weather service has been lifted.
Hundreds of flights, trains and ferries have been canceled across northwestern Europe because of Eunice’s winds, less than 48 hours after Storm Dudley killed at least six people in Poland and Germany.
Netherlands and Poland
In the Netherlands, dozens of houses were evacuated in the capital, The Hague, fearing that a church tower would collapse.
The Dutch rail network was disrupted and Amsterdam-Brussels train services were halted, although a spokesman said they would resume in the afternoon.
Britain
According to the British weather agency, clean-up operations could be disrupted by a new, albeit weaker, gale expected in parts of the UK, as well as some snowfall.
At least 226,000 homes were still without electricity on Saturday in the countrywhere insurers estimate the damage at more than 300 million pounds (360 million euros, 400 million dollars).
In Poland, there were 194,000 people without electricity, according to local authorities, and several railway connections are suspended.
In England there was a unprecedented gust of 196 km/h on the isle of wight.
The British weather service issued a red alert – the highest level – for south Wales and southern England, including London. It is the first time the British capital has reached this alert level since the system was introduced in 2011.
the @metoffice has issued a Red Weather Warning for much of the UK.
We should all follow the advice and take precautions to keep safe.
I thank you for all your efforts. https://t.co/peqjkshdNf
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 18, 2022
France
In northern France, some 30 people were injured in traffic accidents related to wind, falls or falling materials.
About 37,000 homes were without power on Saturday and some regional rail links were disrupted.
Strong gusts of wind coupled with high tides raise fears of flooding, especially since heavy rains were expected on Saturday.
Ferry traffic across the English Channel was disrupted, hundreds of flights were canceled on Friday, and road and rail transport was also affected in several countries.
In France, waves of more than nine meters were recorded in Brittany (west), as well as wind gusts of up to 176 km/h at Cape Gris-Nez (north).
Although it is known that climate change generally increases and multiplies extreme events, it is not so clear in the case of winds and storms (excluding cyclones), the number of which varies greatly from year to year.
The latest report by UN climate experts (IPCC), released in August, estimates, with a very low degree of certainty, that the number of storms in the Northern Hemisphere may have increased since the 1980s.
