© AP / Matt Dunham
Waves crash over the breakwater and lighthouse at Newhaven Harbor as Storm Eunice hits Newhaven, on England’s south coast, February 18, 2022.
With powerful winds that hit the Atlantic coast of the Old Continent, the storm claimed the lives of inhabitants in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands. In France there were 23 injured and 75,000 people woke up without electricity. In the UK, some 200,000 homes also remain without power. Air transport has suspended services while the yellow alert remains in place despite favorable forecasts.
This Saturday it is intended to begin the process of normalization and diagnosis of damage after storm Eunice hit Europe hard on Friday.
However, despite the fact that a more favorable climate is expected, the conditions are still not optimal to repair the consequences of the storm, which left nine dead in three countries, caused the interruption of flights, services and caused significant material damage.
The United Kingdom was one of the European countries where Eunice suffered the worst, after ending the lives of three people due to falling trees due to powerful gusts of wind, which reached 196 kilometers per hour on the Isle of Wight (England) , a speed never before registered in the place. In the neighboring country, Ireland, a death was also reported.
The Met Office, the British meteorological agency, forecasts a considerably better day than Friday, but maintains the yellow alert because strong winds continue to be recorded in Wales, southern England and possible ice fall in Scotland.
The meteorological office noted that “new gales are expected in some areas of the southern UK which could hamper recovery efforts.” In addition, he added that it is likely that the electric service cannot be restored for many homes yet.
This Saturday, some 200,000 homes are still without power, of the 1.4 million that were affected the day before. The entity also indicated that there is “a small possibility” that roads and bridges will be closed.
Meanwhile, train companies such as Thameslink and Great Western Railway have cut a significant proportion of their benefits and asked users to avoid traveling if it is not necessary. Nine lines of the London underground are committed to alterations and adhered to the request not to use the service.
The Netherlands, Belgium and France also suffered the passage of Eunice
Three Dutch people died on Friday as a result of falling trees due to strong winds. In the south of Amsterdam, a pedestrian was seriously hit and died in hospital, according to firefighters. The second death was that of a cyclist who was hit by a trunk and died instantly; the third died when a tree fell on the car he was in.
The gales of up to 145 kilometers per hour also swept the roofs of buildings, the stadium in The Hague was affected; they disrupted ground traffic and forced the cancellation of 350 flights. “The storm is very violent, stay inside the house. Do not go out into the street, it is really a risk to life,” the Amsterdam police warned via Twitter.
In Belgium, a 79-year-old Canadian who was on a pleasure boat in the port of Ypres has died after falling into the water. He was rescued and transferred in critical condition, but did not resist. According to the Belgian news agency, there would be another six injured, although only one seriously.
Among the material damage, the one produced on the roof of two hospitals and one of the terminals of the Brussels-Zaventem airport stands out, in which they were forced to suspend air traffic. “Weather conditions make operations unsafe,” the airfield said on Twitter.
Finally, France recorded 23 injuries from the storm, 17 of whom were not seriously affected. Among the serious ones, there are citizens who experienced traffic accidents due to the wind or who were hit by trees or debris.
The electricity company Enedis reported that there are 40,000 houses in Pas de Calais and another 35,000 in Nord whose service was interrupted by the storm. Through Twitter, he expressed that he was working on restoring the service. In the north of France there were 170,000 users without supply.
WITH EFE and AP