Western Europe cleans up after storm leaves at least 12 dead

London, Feb. 20 (BNA): Tree crews cleared fallen trees and restored electricity to nearly 400,000 people in Britain as Western Europe cleaned up on Saturday after one of the most devastating storms in years.

At least 12 people were killed, many from fallen trees, in Ireland, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Friday’s storm, dubbed Storm Eunice by the British and Irish weather services, and Storm Zeinab in Germany, was the second to hit the area in a week.

Winds tore off a church tower in Wales, southwest England, tearing off parts of the vaulted ceiling at London’s O2 Arena and leaving a trail of felled trees and damaged buildings in many countries.

A gust of 122 mph (196 kph) was temporarily recorded on Friday on the Isle of Wight. If confirmed, it would be the highest ever in England. The hurricane’s winds are starting at 74 miles per hour, according to the Associated Press (AP).

The Met Office’s meteorological service said more strong winds would hit the southern coasts of England and Wales on Saturday, with further damage likely, while snow and ice could cause disruption in the north.

The UK’s National Rail Association said “roads across much of Great Britain” remained affected by the weather on Saturday morning, with disruptions continuing throughout the day.

Transport in Germany also remained severely disrupted, with rail company Deutsche Bahn saying long-distance trains would not operate north of Dortmund, Hanover and Berlin until at least 6pm.

The storm has left at least three people dead in Germany, including a man who fell while trying to repair a damaged roof and a driver whose car crashed into a tree that fell across a road.

In the northwestern city of Bremen, a 55-meter (180-foot) crane fell on an unfinished office building.

A clean-up was also underway in the Netherlands, where four people died when Eunice tore through the country on Friday.

Train services, which were halted during the storm, remained disrupted as the company responsible for the rail infrastructure said it was working hard to repair “serious” damage to tracks and overhead power lines.

Engineers were expected to assess the damage to the roof of a stadium in The Hague where professional soccer team ADO The Hague plays its home games after parts of the structure were blown up.

Across the country, teams were relocating fallen trees and beginning to repair storm-damaged roofs.

HF