Polski
Over the past few days, Europe has been alive with events triggered by Orkan Ciaran. It hit our continent on the night of Wednesday-Thursday and violently swept through many countries. It killed 17 people and caused multimillion-dollar losses. By the time it reached Poland, it had already lost its power, yet it still managed to do a lot of damage. Let’s see how the situation in Poland and Europe looks in this context.
Orkan Ciaran over Poland
On Friday, November 3, Ciaran arrived in Poland. Wind speeds in some parts of the country (such as on Kasprowy Wierch) exceeded 150 km/h. The storm knocked down many trees. Firefighters were called 391 times to clean up after the storm. Most such situations were found in the provinces of Lesser Poland (83) and Mazovia (75). Near Kroscienko nad Dunajcem, two people were injured when a tree fell on them while they were driving. The injured were taken to the hospital. Many households have been left without electricity.
On Saturday, the situation improved somewhat, although the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management issued meteorological warnings for the northern part of Poland. In this region, winds reached speeds of 115 km/h, and rainfall totals reached 50 mm. The rise of water in the reservoirs above the warning level threatened to disrupt water facilities.
Forecasts for Sunday predicted strong winds and rain brought over Poland by a low from the west. In the south of the country, it was expected to blow up to 130 km/h. Strong gusts caused blizzards in the Carpathian Foothills. Such weather was accompanied by above-average temperatures for this time of year.
Effects of Hurricane Ciaran in Italy
In Italy, Orkan Ciaran caused torrential rains and the worst flooding since 1966. It has affected Tuscany. Repairing all the damage could cost up to €300 million. Seven people were killed and hundreds of families were made homeless. Among the victims are. An elderly woman who drowned in her home. In Pistoia, two people died as a result of a bridge collapse. The Italian military joined the rescue operation in Florence. The worst damage was reported in the Prato, Livorno, Florence, Pistoia and Pisa areas.
A state of emergency was imposed in the region on Friday. A thousand Civil Defense volunteers are helping to clean up the damage. Its head, Fabrizio Curcio, has recommended a preemptive evacuation of Tuscan residents due to the impending next wave of violent weather events.
Strong gale paralyzes Britain
Storm Ciaran has hit parts of southern England, leaving thousands of people without electricity. At least 300 schools have been closed, and trains, ferries and planes have not set out. Dozens of people were evacuated on the island of Jersey after wind gusts of 164 mph.
Strong winds cause “black out” in France
At least 2 people were killed in France. Near Paris, it was a driver crushed by a tree while driving and a person who fell from a balcony in Le Havre. On the coasts, wind gusts reached speeds of up to 200 km/h, and waves were 12 m high. As a result, car travel was banned on the west coast of France for several hours.
On Friday, November 3, some 523,000. Homes have been cut off from power, of which more than 350,000. In Brittany itself. Several thousand kilometers of roads were inaccessible. According to reports RFI portal on Saturday still about 260,000. The farms had no electricity.
Fatalities in Belgium and the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, in Venray, Ciaran caused the death of one person. It has also prevented many airline connections. More than 200 flights had to be canceled at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. In Belgium, meanwhile, the port of Antwerp was closed and some flights from Brussels were canceled.
Two people were killed in the Belgian city of Ghent. As reported by Reuters Agency, a branch fell on children playing in a playground. As a result of the accident, the five-year-old died on the spot and the three-year-old was injured. A similar situation was responsible for the death of a 64-year-old woman. Her 31-year-old daughter was also injured and was hospitalized as a result of being hit by a branch.
Ciaran hit Spain
Within Spain, Ciaran was the cause of delays in train and plane schedules. More than 80 flights have been canceled from 11 airports in the country. In downtown Madrid, a tree knocked down by the elements killed a woman. In addition, many people have been injured in similar circumstances.
Summary of the effects of Hurricane Ciaran
The head of the Tuscan government, Eugenio Giani, summed up recent events tellingly: “What happened in Tuscany has one name: climate change.” In turn, Italy’s Civil Defense commander, Fabrizio Curcio, acknowledged that a review of meteorological early warning systems is necessary. It seems that due to climate change we need to be ready for more frequent occurrences of such violent weather events.
Hardly had Orkan Ciaran left us, and already another Domingos had arrived over Europe. On Saturday evening, the French meteorological service placed 10 departments under an orange alert. Storm Domingos left one fatality in its wake, which was a power company employee. The man was making repairs to damage caused by Orkan Ciaran in Brittany.
For more on this topic, see our previous article:“Devastating storms and Orkan Ciaran hit Europe.”
