The death toll from the passing of Hurricane Eunice which hit the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium rose this Friday to 6 people. More than 130,000 users in France, 70,000 households in the UK and around 80,000 in Ireland lost power, according to official information.
local weather office (Met Office), which predicted that Storm Eunice could be one of the worst in three decades, set a red alert and advised millions of Britons to stay in their homes.
In London, a woman in her 30s died when a tree fell on her car and a man in his 50s died near Liverpool (north) when his vehicle was hit by debris, British police said, AFP news agency said.
A 60-year-old man also died in the southeast of the Republic of Ireland after being hit by a falling tree.
In addition, two people – one of them in a car – were killed by a falling tree in the Netherlands, according to local emergency services.
The other deceased, a 79-year-old man, was also registered in Belgium after he fell into the water in the port of Ypres.
In Isle of Wight in the south of Englandgusts of more than 195 kilometers per hour were the highest ever recorded in the country, according to meteorologists.
The storm’s trajectory paralyzed large swathes of the UK, forcing massive cancellations of flights, rail services and route closures. Plus of 70,000 households without electricity in the UK and about 80,000 in Ireland.
In LondonThe roof of the iconic O2 Arena, which regularly hosts concerts by famous bands and elite sporting events for up to 20,000 people, was blown away by the storm.
In the British capital, the YouTube channel “Big Jet TV” broadcast the plane’s arrival at Heathrow airport live for nearly eight hours.
This phenomenon also hit coastal areas and causes widespread disturbance in southern England, Wales and in Porthcawl, South Waleswhere huge waves hit the pavement and more than 50,000 people lost power.
After passing through England, the storm is heading for Denmarkwhere the Storebaelt Bridge, one of the longest in the world, is likely to remain closed most of the night, operators warned.
With waves of four meters on the Atlantic coast, France put five departments on orange alert and rail operators announced disruptions to its regional lines.
That The UK government urges residents to stay indoors when winds reach maximum speedavoid the trip and stay away from the waterfront promenade, although some people have been seen swimming in the sea in Cornwall, in southwest England.
They also asked weather enthusiasts not to risk their lives photographing the storm. “If you want to watch a storm, do it from the comfort of your home,” Welsh Police said on their broadcast channel.
“The reports we received were absolutely appalling. There is no point in risking your life for photos or selfies and those who go to the beach to take photos are also a danger to our team,” warns Coast Guard Commander Ben Hambling.
Especially, hundreds of flights canceled at the capital’s main airport London. At Heathrow airport, for example, British Airways suspended at least 114 departures and 118 arrivals.
Meanwhile, an EasyJet plane had to abort its landing twice this morning before successfully landing in the English city of Bristol.
There are also many train services canceled and routes closed because the storm caused dozens of trees to fall and there were several accidents with trucks on the highway.
Ferries crossing from Dover, southern England, to Calais, northern France, were suspended from this morning.
When the treehouse collapses to the ground in a hurricane https://t.co/PCvN1CXgi0
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 18, 2022
A video published by the British public broadcaster BBC shows how a family watched in shock as a tree in their garden with a log house built on it fell to the ground.
In that regard, the London Fire Brigade declared a major incident the 999th volume call in connection with Storm Eunice due to fallen trees and property damage.
