Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY
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A8 WORLD NEWS
Monday 10 February 2020
Hurricane-force winds pound UK and Europe, upend travel
By SHEILA NORMAN-CULP Brussels Airport also saw de-
Associated Press lays or cancellations.
LONDON (AP) — Storm Two huge ports on either
Ciara battered the U.K. side of the English Chan-
and northern Europe with nel, Dover in England and
hurricane-force winds and Calais in France, shut down
heavy rains Sunday, halting operations amid high
flights and trains and pro- waves. Ferries were can-
ducing heaving seas that celed across the region, in-
closed down ports. Soccer cluding in the turbulent Irish
games, farmers' markets Sea and North Sea.
and cultural events were The Humber Bridge in north-
canceled as authorities ern England also shut down,
urged millions of people a move its website said was
to stay indoors, away from only the second time the
falling tree branches. massive bridge had been
Named by the U.K. Met entirely closed.
Office weather agency, Breaking with her usual
the storm brought massive Sunday routine, Queen
gusts that hit 93 mph (150 Elizabeth II did not attend
mph) at the northern Welsh church in Sandringham
village of Aberdaron and due to high winds.
86 mph (138 kph) at the Waves lash the coast on the Ayrshire coast at Ardrossan, Scotland, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. A cow was spotted on a
Welsh town of Capel Cu- Associated Press main highway in southern
rig. A British Airways plane is fastest ever flight by a con- York to London. central Scotland. England after high winds
thought to have made the ventional airliner from New The fierce winds propelled At least 10 rail companies in blew down fences.
a Boeing 747-436 to make Britain sent out "do not trav- Adding to the weather
the 3,500-mile transatlantic el" warnings, while nearly woes, heavy snow was pre-
journey from New York to 20 others told passengers dicted for Monday in some
London in just 4 hours and to expect extensive delays. parts of the U.K.
56 minutes, landing 102 The strong winds damaged In Ireland, power was
minutes early and reach- electrical wires and littered knocked to an estimat-
ing a top speed of 825 mph train tracks with broken ed 10,000 homes, farms
(1,327 kph), according tree limbs and other debris, and businesses. National
to flight tracking website including a family trampo- weather agency Met Eire-
Flightradar24. Two Virgin line. ann warned that a com-
Airlines flights also roared London's Heathrow Airport bination of high tides, high
across the Atlantic, with all and several airlines con- seas and stormy conditions
three smashing the previ- solidated flights Sunday to had created a significant
ous subsonic New York-to- reduce the number can- risk of coastal flooding,
London record of 5 hours celled by heavy winds. Brit- particularly in the west and
and 13 minutes, Flightra- ish Airways offered to re- northwest.
dar24 reported. book customers for domes- Fierce winds knocked
Storm surges ate away at tic and European flights out out electricity in northern
beaches and pounded of Heathrow, Gatwick and France as well. Paris author-
rock cliffs and cement London City airports. Vir- ities sent out a warning to
docks. The Met Office is- gin Airlines canceled some residents and tourists alike
sued 190 emergency flood flights. to stay indoors for their own
warnings and urged people Lufthansa airlines said there safety. Parks and cemeter-
not to try to drive through would be numerous can- ies in the city of Lille and
flooded roads. Residents cellations and delays be- nearby towns shut down
in the town of Appleby-in- ginning Sunday afternoon as strong winds cracked
Westmorland in northwest and running until at least heavy branches. Open-air
England battled to protect Tuesday morning. The air- markets closed early.
their homes amid severe line plans to keep operat- Luxembourg and the Ger-
flooding as the River Eden ing long-haul flights at its man city of Cologne an-
burst its banks. main Frankfurt hub. Eurow- nounced that all school
Three people were injured ings, a budget subsidiary of children could stay home
after a pub roof partially Lufthansa, canceled most Monday to avoid trav-
collapsed Saturday eve- flights for the duration of elling under dangerous
ning in the city of Perth in the storm. conditions.q
