Uprooted trees, soaring roofs, cut power lines… Storm Eunice, which is sweeping northwestern Europe, has already killed at least 16 people and left significant material damage in its wake. Part of Ireland, where it formed, Eunice passed over part of the United Kingdom on Friday, then converged on northern France and Benelux, before continuing on to Denmark and Germany, Saturday February 19. Franceinfo makes a tour of Europe of the devastation caused by this violent gale, which broke less than 48 hours after the storm Dudley.
In the United Kingdom, gusts at nearly 200 km / h
Storm Eunice hit the British Isles first. In the UK, three people have died. In London, a woman in her thirties was killed on Friday afternoon when a tree fell on the car in which she was a passenger. Near Liverpool, in the northwest of England, a 50-year-old died when debris hit the windscreen of the vehicle in which he was traveling.
The highest red alert level has been issued over South Wales and southern England, including London, by the UK Met Service, une first since the establishment of this weather warning system in 2011. Heavy gusts blew on the British capital.
These people get blown over by the wind as Storm Eunice beats people to the ground in Croydon, South London.#StormEunice pic.twitter.com/ZUM63K93Ae
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) February 18, 2022
Part of the roof of the O2 Arena, the famous London performance hall, flew away under the power of the wind.
Dome update – six panels shredded and counting! pic.twitter.com/p2AVhf17Ly
— Ben Hubbard (@BJFHubbard) February 18, 2022
A gust of 196 km / h was recorded on the Isle of Wight, unheard of, while others were measured at more than 110 km / h inland, including at London Heathrow airport, where the pilots had difficulty landing. More than 400 flights have been canceled at UK airports, according to specialist company Cirium. Cross-Channel ferry traffic has also ceased.
86,000 people are currently watching a live stream of a guy shouting GO ON THEN at pilots trying to land planes at Heathrow in #StormEunice pic.twitter.com/Oxa80Vtgeo
—Tom Hourigan (@TomHourigan) February 18, 2022
In the south-west of England, in Somerset, the spire of the church of Saint Thomas in Wells, blown by the wind, crashed on the ground, without causing any casualties. At least 400,000 homes also remained without electricity Saturday morning in the country. Insurers estimate the amount of damage at more than 300 million pounds sterling (360 million euros).
#STORMUNICE It’s a miracle that this sizeable & very heavy spire tip, with windvane & lightning conductor, didn’t hit anyone as it came crashing-down at St Thomas Church in #Wells, #Somerset around noon. Video captured by Matthew Hodson (many thanks for sending to @BBCBristol) pic.twitter.com/fq2KfvpWBR
—Ian Fergusson (@fergieweather) February 18, 2022
In France, up to 160,000 homes without electricity
In the north of France, at least eight people were seriously injured, and around twenty more lightly, in road accidents linked to the wind which blew at nearly 140 km / h in Calais and at nearly 130 km / h in Lille.
On the west coast, in Brittany, waves sometimes exceeding nine meters were observed, according to Météo France, and gusts reached 176 km / h at Cape Gris-Nez, in Pas-de-Calais, according to the private observatory. Keraunos tornadoes.
At the height of the windy episode, until 160,000 homes, located largely in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, were deprived of power, network manager Enedis reported on Friday. After the passage of storm Eunice, around 37,000 homes were still without electricity on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, according to Enedis.
In the Lille region, firefighters received more than 5,000 calls during the day. They intervened around 1,600 times, mainly for falling materials. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Twitter on Friday that “The State will declare a state of natural disaster as soon as possible wherever necessary”.
The teams of @lillefrance hard at work this morning to repair the storm damage #Eunicein particular to clear this hundred-year-old lime tree from the road.
At 7 a.m., another 83,000 homes without electricity in Hauts de France according to @enedis_npdc. @BFMGrandLille @BFMTV #Lille pic.twitter.com/4bSwL7C4K0— Antoine Forestier (@a_forestier) February 19, 2022
All buses and metros in the metropolis of Lille have been interrupted “due to many objects on the road”, reports France Bleu Nord. In total, 481 construction sites and 68 interventions have so far been recorded by the firefighters of the North.
In the Netherlands, four people killed
It was in the Netherlands that the passage of storm Eunice was the deadliest, especially in the Amsterdam region. Four people were killed by falling trees or in accidents, according to the Dutch emergency services. Another man was violently hit by a solar panel.
The entire Dutch rail network was affected and only the Paris-Brussels Thalys were operating on Saturday morning.
In The Hague, dozens of houses were evacuated for fear of the collapse of the bell tower of a church. The red code was triggered and rail traffic was disrupted or even suspended between Amsterdam and Brussels. A recovery is expected on Saturday afternoon. Many trees were uprooted by the wind.
Omstanders filmden ook hoe er op de Kalkmarkt in het centrum een boom om waaide https://t.co/JhKSTzEyKi pic.twitter.com/thWpW7YARE
— AT5 (@AT5) February 18, 2022
Nog steeds komen er video’s van vallende bomen binnen. Dit was vanmiddag op de Oudezijds Voorburgwal https://t.co/RGvIXvnjCD pic.twitter.com/MExV6yFDav
— AT5 (@AT5) February 18, 2022
In Ireland, more than 80,000 homes without electricity
It was in the middle of the night from Thursday to Friday that the storm hit the Irish coast. A 60-year-old man has died in south-east Ireland, police say. More 80,000 homes were without power by midday Friday, according to local network ESB.
Tree came down on our family house in Cobh this morning. Very lucky to say nobody was hurt, and only a few busted windows and a stray branch through the roof to show for it. Stay safe everyone #StormEunice pic.twitter.com/ipMue2eNFF
— Ellen O’Regan (@ellenoregan) February 18, 2022
Storm Eunice also brought snowfall to the north of the country, causing traffic jams and accidents.
The #storm #Eunice also brings #snow like here in the north#Ireland. Several accidents reported. Up to 20 cm on the ground are possible on the heights (Met Office).
Video via @ryanharkin87pic.twitter.com/8x0mXlmdVQ#StormEunice
— Kevin Floury (@kevinfloury) February 18, 2022
In Belgium, a crane collapsed on a hospital
In Belgium, a 79-year-old man who lived on a boat in the marina of Ypres, in the west of the country, died after falling into the water while trying to recover objects that had flown away. In addition, a 37-year-old man hit in the head on Friday by a solar panel that had flown away succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, according to the Ghent police.
In Tournai, located near the French border, a crane, destabilized by the wind, fell on the upper floors of a building housing a hospital geriatrics department. Staff and patients, all unharmed, were evacuated. Only the crane driver was injured and had to be extricated by the emergency services, reports RTBF.
We came close to disaster at the Chwapi in #Tournai. The first part of this crane fell on the windows downstairs where the hospital nursery is@the eveningHave pic.twitter.com/fGeIM7ND4w
— Sandra Durieux (@sdurieux) February 18, 2022
In Germany, a third of the country on red alert
Storm Eunice continued on its way to Germany.“There is a risk of gusts of severe storm force (level 3 of 4). Maximum gust: 100-115 km/h“, warned the German meteorological services. A large third of the north of the country had been placed on red alert until Saturday morning.
Two people died, according to the German police, including a driver killed by the fall of a tree on his vehicle in Altenberge, in North Rhine-Westphalia, not far from the city of Munster.
Winds of over 140 km/h hit Büsum on the North Sea coast. Long-distance and regional rail traffic was interrupted on Friday, says Deutsche Welle (in German). Firefighters had to rescue rescuers at sea on the island of Heligoland.
More than 15,000 firefighter interventions: Storm #Eunice also caused serious damage in #Germany. On the island of#Helgolandfirefighters had to rescue rescuers at sea: The sea rescue cruiser Hans Hackmack had to fight very hard against the waves. pic.twitter.com/KwAbPntxJO
— VendéeVoile (@VG2020D) February 19, 2022
Four people also died in Poland, where 194,000 homes have been without power, according to local authorities, and where several rail links are suspended.