Europe Storm Kills Dozens
A massive Atlantic storm, which have been named Xynthia, has devastated western Europe, spreading from Portugal to the Netherlands and as far inland to Germany. The storm hit on Saturday night and into Sunday, bringing with it tons of rain and hurricane-force winds, as well as huge waves, while there have been at least 50 people reported killed.
Most of the damage has been done to France, where at least 45 deaths have been reported. Winds were reaching up to 150km/hr, while waves were towering up to 8 metres high, flooding everything and making residents seek high ground on the roofs of their homes. Prime Minister Francois Fillon says that they will declare the storm a natural disaster so that funds will be freed to help with rebuilding communities. He added that they were warned of the storm, but didn’t think the damages would be this bad.
Of the other deaths, 3 were reported in Spain - one elderly woman from a collapsed wall and 2 men from a falling tree that landed on their car. There were also many other deaths from falling branches or trees - a 10-year-old boy in Portugal, a woman and motorist in German and a 60-year-old man in Belgium.
As for the UK, there haven’t been any reported deaths, but there is a severe flood warning for parts of the nation, while less severe flood warnings remain in place for nearly everywhere else. Travel has been hampered from the weather as well, with train services being disrupted in and out of London.