Storm Dennis wreaks havoc in UK, France
NATURE’S Weather agency issues ‘danger to life’ warning after flooding and high winds
London, Feb 17: Britain on Monday began to clear up after Storm Dennis battered the country over the weekend, leading the government’s weather agency to issue a rare “danger to life” warning amid widespread flooding and high winds. Hundreds of flood warnings remained in place, including five “severe” warnings around the River Teme in Worcestershire in western England, after more than a month’s worth of rain fell in 48 hours in some parts of Britain.
■ A RECORD 594 warnings and alerts had been put in place, extending from Scotland’s River Tweed to Cornwall in southwest England.
A record 594 warnings and alerts had been put in place on Sunday, extending from Scotland’s River Tweed to Cornwall in southwest England, while major incidents were declared in South Wales and parts of western England due to flooding.
The storm also battered much of France, with some 20,000 people still without electricity on Monday after suffering power cuts in the northwest of the country and rail traffic disrupted. In south Wales, the government’s weather agency issued a rare red warning, saying there was a risk of “significant impacts from flooding” that included a “danger to life from fast flowing water, extensive flooding to property and road closures”.
Pictures circulated on social media showed the nearby River Taff bursting its banks, while rescue workers rushed to reach people trapped in their homes in Powys. Police said a man in his 60s died after entering River Tawe, north of Swansea, but later clarified that the death was not “linked to the adverse weather”. Winds of over 90 miles per hour were recorded in Aberdaron, south Wales.