flareneld's oven: European countries amid weather chaos

Thursday, December 02, 2010

European countries amid weather chaos


Your Ad Here

European countries battle weather chaos

Pedestrians in the snow in Gdansk, Poland (2 Dec 2010) At least 18 people have died in the cold in Poland

People across northern Europe are still facing heavy snow and freezing temperatures, with more cold weather forecast for the weekend.
Up to 28 people are thought to have been killed by the cold or in weather-related accidents.
Thousands of people have been left stranded after roads and rail networks were disrupted and airports closed.
In the Balkans, heavy flooding has forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Temperatures in Poland have fallen to as low as -33C (-27F) in the past few days.
Police in the country say 18 people are now known to have have died from exposure, most of them homeless people who had been drinking alcohol outside.
Russian media reported three deaths in Moscow and at least two people were also reported to have been killed in Germany.


They included a 73-year-old man in Lower Saxony who was said to have been hit by a train while attempting to clear snow.
 
Airports closed
Thousands of railway passengers in Germany had to spend the night in their trains after the snow forced high-speed inter-city routes to a halt.
People wait to be evacuated from flooding in  Gorazde, Bosnia (2 Dec 2010) Many people have had to flee flooding in the Balkans

The authorities in Berlin kept underground stations, soup kitchens and heated buses open all night to provide shelter for the city's homeless.
There has been widespread disruption to international travel, with several major airports forced to close.
Significant flight delays were reported at London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Amsterdam Schiphol, Berlin Tegel and Duesseldorf airports.
London's Gatwick airport re-opened on Friday morning after two days, but passengers have been warned to expect delays and cancellations. London City airport and Edinburgh airport in Scotland also suffered closures.
Eurostar says it expects to operate a significantly reduced service until Sunday, but that no more tickets will be available until Monday.
In other developments
  • Denmark mobilized its army to help emergency vehicles make their way through snow in the south-east
  • Snowfalls trapped hundreds of motorists in Brittany and Normandy
  • In Belgium, 650km (403 miles) of traffic jams were reported, with Flanders hit hard
Cold air moving down from Siberia has contributed to the wintry conditions in northern Europe.
Temperatures are an average 5-10C below average in some major cities.
Meanwhile, heavy rain has led to severe flooding in parts of Albania, Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro.
More than 1,000 people have fled their homes to escape rising waters and officials have declared a state of emergency in several affected areas.

No comments:

Post a Comment