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WeatherMatrix
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Prohibited. Usage logged.
From: Olli Haukkovaara (olli.haukkovaara{at}pp.nic.fi)
Date: Sun Oct 27 2002 - 16:32:52 EST
>See:
>
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2366231.stm
>
>-- Olli --
>
>
>Hi Olli, others,
>
>As far as I know there are 12 casualties so far: 6 in Britain, 3 in
>Belgium, 3 in The Netherlands.
>
>I landed today on the airport of Amsterdam when the wind was about 32-35
>knots and gusts were probably already near 45 or 50 knots. It was bumpy!!
>But the captain did a good job.
>
>Some hours after the public railroad system (with electrical wires) was
>damaged so severely that almost no trains were running anymore.
>
>The authority responisble for the maintenance of the dikes
>(rijkswaterstaat) installed "dike watch" for one of its regions.
>
>The storm is "one category" less intense than
>the storm we all remember here (well that is, in The Netherlands), the one
>of 25th of January 1990. That storm produced widespread wind gusts of
>around 140 kph with highest measured gusts of around 160-170 kph.
>
>It is two categories less intense than Anatol (3-12-1999) that struck
>Denmark, and
>Lothar and Martin that struck France, Germany and Switzerland
>(26/28-12-1999). These storms produced widespread wind gusts of 160-170
>kph and highest measured gusts of 190 - 200 kph.
>
>Today's storm produced widespread gusts of around 120 kph with around 140
>kph the highest being measured.
>It still was high enough to do some minor damage to roofs and cause some
>uprooted trees.
>
>Pieter Groenemeijer
>Leiden,
>The Netherlands
>Sunday, 27 October, 2002, 18:08 GMT , BBC News:
>
>Six dead as gales batter UK
>
>Trees have been blown down across the country
>Three adults and three children have been killed and several others
>seriously injured as gales sweep across England and Wales.
>Winds of up to 90mph are expected to continue wreaking havoc on roads and
>railways across much of southern and central Britain throughout the rest of
>Sunday.
>Flood information
>Call Floodline on 0845 988 1188
>All of the victims died as a result of falling trees and emergency services
>are warning people not to venture out unless absolutely necessary.
>The Environment Agency has also issued a flood warning for the River Dove
>in Derbyshire from Ashbourne to Rocester.
>People living and travelling near the River Dove in this area are warned
>that the river is expected to start flooding farmland and some main roads.
>London streets were also hit by the storms
>Trees and high winds have also damaged power lines and left 12,000 homes
>without electricity.
>In Shropshire a falling tree killed a 14-year-old girl who was a passenger
>in a car on the A41, as well as injuring two other occupants. Another
>falling tree in nearby Much Wenlock left a man with head injuries.
>In Wales a man was killed on the A40 at Bwlch, just east of Brecon, when a
>large branch fell on his car at the height of the storms.
>Ambulance crews found the man trapped and seriously injured, but he was
>declared dead at the scene before he could be freed.
>Toddler killed
>A boy died in Costessey on the outskirts of Norwich, Norfolk, after a
>falling tree was blown onto him, a spokesman for the East Anglian ambulance
>service said.
>Also in Norfolk, a man in his 50s was killed by a falling tree in his
>garden in Downham Market.
>In Felixstowe, Suffolk, a three-year-old boy died after suffering head
>injuries when a tree fell on his pushchair.
>The toddler had been out with his mother in woodland during the stormy
>weather. He was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.
>In Didsbury, Greater Manchester, a man was seriously injured after an oak
>tree fell on him.
>Firefighters cut him out from under the 80-foot tree and he was taken to
>hospital with serious leg injuries.
>Rescue operation
>A 22-year-old woman died in Oxford city centre after an oak tree fell on
>her car, crushing the roof.
>Her sisters, aged nine and 13 escaped with minor injuries.
>The Association of British Insurers said the financial impact of the storms
>would be high.
>
>HMS St Albans was damaged when it was hit by ferry
>A spokesman said: "We are talking tens of millions of pounds in the level
>of claims - up to £50m - rather than hundreds of millions."
>He said the cost to the industry compared with about £2bn costs following
>the ferocious storm of January 1990, and more than £1bn for the October
>1987 storms.
>Poor conditions hampered a rescue operation to help an injured fisherman
>stuck on a boat 170 miles off the Scilly Isles.
>A helicopter crew from RAF Chivenor in Devon winched the unconscious man to
>safety from a Spanish fishing vessel about 0700 GMT after a seven-hour
>rescue effort.
>The fisherman - who had suffered internal bleeding - later regained
>consciousness.
>The weather also contributed to a collision between a ferry and Royal Navy
>frigate HMS St Albans in Portsmouth, which left the warship "significantly"
>damaged on its upper decks.
>Transport chaos
>The weather-induced chaos also caused huge delays on the railways, with
>particularly severe disruption on both east and west coast main line.
>All Virgin Cross Country and West Coast services have been suspended due to
>the bad weather.
>
>Drivers are warned to take extreme care
>Trains on the move when the decision was taken were being stopped at the
>nearest station. The situation was to be reviewed early on Sunday afternoon.
>On the east coast trains between Kings Cross and Doncaster were suspended
>because of high winds, debris on the lines and damage to the
>infrastructure, with services also suspended between Leeds and Doncaster.
>GNER has so far been unable to organise alternative transport and is
>advising passengers not to travel.
>Ferries cancelled
>Flights were also affected with British Airways cancelling 32 services out
>of London's Heathrow airport and seven out of Gatwick. Passengers are
>advised to consult BA's website or phone 0845 77 999 77.
>The Sunday race meeting at Aintree in Liverpool was cancelled, while theme
>parks such as Alton Towers in Staffordshire and Thorpe Park in Surrey were
>closed for safety reasons.
>The M4 Swansea Bridge and the M48 Severn Bridge have been closed.
>Most ferries to Ireland, Holland and France have been cancelled.
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