LONDON—A powerful winter storm battered Europe on Friday, knocking power out for 330,000 homes in France, prompting the evacuation of thousands of seaside dwellers in Britain and disrupting travel.

Britain issued more than a dozen severe flood warnings, meaning there was a risk of danger to life, and deployed the military to help thousands of people to evacuate their homes in several seaside communities.

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Since the end of last week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, with homeless people and migrants stranded in countries like Greece and Serbia most at risk.

In France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while another woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.

“She died in front of her children. Her husband immediately tried to help by cutting the tree but it was too late,” a French police official said of the death there.

The storm, officially named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights.

At one point overnight, 330,000 homes were without power in France, although this was reduced to 35,000 by Friday night.

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.

“At first we had electricity, but then it cut. We found ourselves in the dark without heating,” said Eduardo Soteras, a photographer who was on the train.

‘Hardship for homeless and refugees’

Winds of up to 146 kilometres (90 miles) an hour hit France’s Channel port of Dieppe overnight, while parts of Germany were bracing for up to 30 centimetres (12 inches) of snow, according to German weather officials.

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The rose window of a famous Gothic cathedral in Soissons in northern France was also badly damaged.

“Severe winter weather struck southeastern Europe, with extreme cold and snow in Italy, the Balkans and Turkey. This caused many accidents on roads, school closures, cancelled flights and hardship for the homeless and refugees,” the UN weather agency said.

The World Meteorological Organization said in a statement that the high-pressure weather system was moving slowly eastwards over Europe.

In Ukraine, officials said sub-zero temperatures across the country have claimed 40 lives since late December.

British troops on standby

Flood warnings were put in place for much of England’s east coast, while in the Netherlands pumps were used to lower water levels in Amsterdam and surrounding areas, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

Thousands of residents in Skegness and Great Yarmouth, both in eastern England, were urged to leave their homes or move to upper floors, while further south, villagers in Jaywick were also warned to evacuate ahead of high tide.

Around 200 troops were deployed to Great Yarmouth to help evacuate more than 5,000 homes, while 100 soldiers were standing by in Skegness to help out.

Temporary shelters were set up for local residents, but some appeared reluctant to leave — even in Jaywick, where 35 people died in floods in 1953.

“With the security risk, I don’t really want to leave the house,” Jaywick resident Rebecca Kenny, 31, told the Press Association news agency.

“While I know the police are putting on extra patrols, they can’t cover the whole area the whole time.”

Floods minister Therese Coffey said: “Our absolute priority is protecting lives, homes and businesses from the threat of coastal flooding currently facing the east coast.

“That is why we have soldiers on the ground helping to warn and evacuate people alongside the emergency services and environment agency teams, who are putting up temporary defenses.”

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MOST READ</s>LONDON: A powerful winter storm battered Europe on Friday, killing one woman and leaving 330,000 homes without power in France as flights and train services were cancelled and coastal areas put on flood alert.

Britain issued nearly a dozen severe flood warnings, meaning there was a risk of severe flooding and danger to life, and urged thousands of people to evacuate their homes in several seaside communities.

The storm, officially named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights, according to German media.

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.

“We stopped on the tracks at around 9pm,” said Eduardo Soteras, a passenger on the train.

“At first we had electricity, but then it cut. We found ourselves in the dark without heating.”

In France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while another woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.

“She died in front of her children. Her husband immediately tried to help by cutting the tree but it was too late,” a French police official said of the death there.

The rose window of a famous Gothic cathedral in Soissons in northern France was also badly damaged.

Winds of up to 146 km an hour hit France’s Channel port of Dieppe overnight, while parts of Germany were bracing for up to 30 centimetres of snow on Friday, according to German weather officials.

Since the end of last week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, with homeless people and migrants stranded in countries like Greece and Serbia most at risk.

“Severe winter weather struck southeastern Europe, with extreme cold and snow in Italy, the Balkans and Turkey. This caused many accidents on roads, school closures, cancelled flights and hardship for the homeless and refugees,” the UN weather agency said.

The World Meteorological Organization said in a statement that the high-pressure weather system was “moving slowly eastwards over Europe”.

Flood warnings were put in place for much of England’s east coast, while in the Netherlands pumps were used to lower water levels in Amsterdam and surrounding areas, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

Thousands of residents in Skegness in eastern England were urged to leave their homes or move to upper floors, while further south villagers in Jaywick were also warned to evacuate ahead of high tide. Temporary shelters were set up for local residents, but some appeared reluctant to leave.

Winter storm batters Europe was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 14, 2017 and was last updated on January 14, 2017. This news story is related to Print/178962-Winter-storm-batters-Europe/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Winter storm batters Europe" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/178962-Winter-storm-batters-Europe.</s>LONDON
• A powerful winter storm battered Europe yesterday, killing one woman and leaving 330,000 homes without power in France as flights and train services were cancelled and coastal areas put on flood alert.

Britain issued nearly a dozen severe flood warnings, meaning there was a risk of severe flooding and danger to life, and urged thousands of people to evacuate their homes in several seaside communities.

The storm, named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights, according to German media.

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.

"We stopped on the tracks at around 9pm," said Mr Eduardo Soteras, a passenger on the train.

"At first we had electricity, but then it (was) cut. We found ourselves in the dark without heating."

In France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while another woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.

"She died in front of her children. Her husband immediately tried to help by cutting the tree, but it was too late," a French police official said of the death there.

Winds of up to 146kmh hit France's Channel port of Dieppe overnight, while parts of Germany were bracing for up to 30cm of snow yesterday.

Since the end of last week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, with homeless people and migrants stranded in countries such as Greece and Serbia most at risk.

Separately, an ice storm heading for the central United States was threatening to take down trees and power lines and create treacherous travel conditions yesterday and into the weekend, the National Weather Service said.

Ice, freeze rain and winter storm warnings were in effect for a large swathe of the Plains, from the Texas panhandle north into Iowa and east through central Indiana, it added.</s>LONDON (AFP) - A powerful winter storm battered Europe on Friday (Jan 13), killing one woman and leaving 330,000 homes without power in France as flights and train services were cancelled and coastal areas put on flood alert.

Britain issued nearly a dozen severe flood warnings, meaning there was a risk of severe flooding and danger to life, and urged thousands of people to evacuate their homes in several seaside communities.

The storm, officially named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights, according to German media.

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high-speed Thalys train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.

"We stopped on the tracks at around 9pm," said Eduardo Soteras, a passenger on the train.

"At first we had electricity, but then it cut. We found ourselves in the dark without heating." .

In France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while another woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.

"She died in front of her children. Her husband immediately tried to help by cutting the tree but it was too late," a French police official said of the death there.

The rose window of a famous Gothic cathedral in Soissons in northern France was also badly damaged.

Winds of up to 146 km an hour hit France's Channel port of Dieppe overnight, while parts of Germany were bracing for up to 30cm of snow on Friday, according to German weather officials.

Since the end of last week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, with homeless people and migrants stranded in countries like Greece and Serbia most at risk.

"Severe winter weather struck southeastern Europe, with extreme cold and snow in Italy, the Balkans and Turkey. This caused many accidents on roads, school closures, cancelled flights and hardship for the homeless and refugees," the UN weather agency said.

The World Meteorological Organisation said in a statement that the high-pressure weather system was "moving slowly eastwards over Europe".

Flood warnings were put in place for much of England's east coast, while in the Netherlands pumps were used to lower water levels in Amsterdam and surrounding areas, according to Dutch news agency ANP.

Thousands of residents in Skegness in eastern England were urged to leave their homes or move to upper floors, while further south villagers in Jaywick were also warned to evacuate ahead of high tide.

Temporary shelters were set up for local residents, but some appeared reluctant to leave.

"While I know the police are putting on extra patrols, they can't cover the whole area the whole time," Jaywick resident Rebecca Kenny, 31, told the Press Association news agency.

"With the security risk, I don't really want to leave the house," she said.

Some 100 soldiers were standing by in Skegness to help out and the Royal Air Force is checking for damage.

"Our absolute priority is protecting lives, homes and businesses from the threat of coastal flooding currently facing the east coast," floods minister Therese Coffey said.

"That is why we have soldiers on the ground helping to warn and evacuate people alongside the emergency services and environment agency teams, who are putting up temporary defences," she said.

The storm brought the first snowfall of the year to the British capital, prompting the usual mix of excitement and frustration from Londoners on social media.</s>Approximately 32,500 homes in France were without electricity on Saturday morning following a strong wind storm, a spokesman for electricity provider Enedis said.

 

 A storm on Thursday evening had killed power to as many as 330,000 homes, with electricity being restored in many areas on Friday.

 

 Severe weather across Europe has triggered chaos in several countries hit by snow and freezing temperatures in recent days, with Germany experiencing hurricane force winds and major traffic disruptions during the latest cold front.

 

 Enedis' spokesman said the company hoped to have electricity restored to the remaining homes, many in rural areas, by the end of the day on Saturday.

 

 The northern and western regions of France were most heavily hit by the storm, which claimed at least one life in France after a woman was hit by a falling branch.

 

 Around 16,000 homes in Picardy and 13,000 in Normandy remained without electricity on Saturday.</s>While southeastern Europe has been suffering constant sub-zero weather and disruptive snowfall, the latest winter storm is on its way through northern Europe.

This storm started to form in earnest as it crossed southern England during Thursday. With mild, moist air drawn in from the Atlantic and freezing Arctic air blowing down through northern England, the conditions were ideal for an atmospheric depression, a storm, to form and strengthen.

Snow started to fall over London, delaying operations at the international airport of Heathrow. Rain brought temporary surface flooding in southern England from Devon to Kent. But wind and increasing snow characterise the storm in its passage through northern continental Europe.

As the storm was developing, the island of Jersey, just off the French coast, recorded gusts of 115 kilometres an hour. Dieppe, on the north coast of France, reported 147km/h winds and northeastern France suffered a blizzard on Thursday night.

The Belgian port of Zeebrugge had gusts of 105km/h overnight, a buoy in the southern North Sea recorded 140km/h winds just before dawn on Friday. There are gale warnings throughout the North Sea and a storm surge of up to 1.5 metres is accompanying each high tide.

Evacuations have taken place from some coastal areas of southeast England, and flood warnings exist all along the Belgian, Dutch and north German coast.

The strongest winds around the storm centre during Friday morning were as far south as Bavaria. The spa town of Fichtelberg suffered repeated gusts of over 150km/h, with snow.

The heart of the storm tracks through northern Germany and Poland during Friday, ending up over the Baltic States in the early hours of Saturday, a much weaker beast. It will have left a trail of damage from coastal flooding, disrupting snow and violent wind</s>PARIS – Violent winds and winter storms hit France on Friday, killing a 43-year-old woman taking her kids to school in southern France and injuring nearly 50 other people in the north.

Elsewhere in Europe, British authorities put the military on standby for the possibility of flooding along the east coast and the Vatican sheltered homeless people in a church from unusually cold weather in Rome.

The woman killed in the hills above the southern French city of Nice was hit on the head as a tall Cypress tree snapped in a powerful gust as she left her house to take her children to school, said Lt. Col. Dominique Blasius of the Alpes-Maritimes region.

“This happened in front of her children,” he said.

The children called their father. He used a chain saw to try to free his wife from the fallen tree, but she was already dead when a fire crew arrived, Blasius said.

In northern France, strong winds blew a tree onto tracks between Paris and Brussels, stranding passengers on a high-speed Thalys train. The 210 passengers spent the night without electricity, heat or liquids. The track was subsequently cleared.

France’s Interior Ministry said nearly 50 people were injured overnight in weather-related accidents, although none seriously.

The worst-hit areas included Normandy and Picardy where, respectively, 76,000 homes and 61,000 homes were without electricity on Friday. Emergency services were called out over 4,040 times to deal with the storms’ impact.

Along Britain’s eastern coast, flood warnings were issued and troops were standing by.

“The combination of gale-force winds, high tides, dangerous waves carrying rocks and a coastal surge means parts of the east coast are extremely dangerous,” said Environment Agency national duty manager Mark Sitton-Kent.

In Rome, nighttime temperatures have dropped below freezing. The Vatican said around 30 people – both Italians and foreigners – had accepted an invitation to sleep inside St. Calixtus Church, which is Vatican property.

Inside the church’s cold stone interior, the homeless kept warm with sleeping bags, blankets and electric heaters.</s>A severe winter storm that swept across northern France on Thursday night left more than 300,000 homes without power.

More than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes because of fallen trees, ruptured power cables and damaged roofs. Some 6,000 pompiers (rescue workers) were called out to deal with 4,452 emergencies.

An international Thalys train with 200 passengers was left stranded in the Somme region in norther France overnight because of a fallen tree branch on the line.

The storm, which has been dubbed “Egon”, saw 146 kmh winds in the northern port city of Dieppe.

The violent weather has been compounded by a cold snap, with warnings of snow and ice on roads. The Normandy and Picardie regions are particularly badly affected.</s>LONDON - An icy storm has been lashing parts of western Europe, causing power cuts in many homes, felling trees and disrupting some rail services.

In France power cuts affected more than 237,000 homes as the storm swept across Normandy and regions north of Paris.

In Dieppe, on the coast, winds reached 146km/h (90.5mph).

The storm, nicknamed "Egon", later hit southern Germany - mainly Rhineland-Palatinate and northern Bavaria. Power cuts and traffic jams were widespread.

Emergency teams were out in force during the night in France and Germany.

A woman died in Saint-Jeannet, in south-eastern France, when a tree toppled over and crushed her. She had been getting her children ready for school, Le Parisien website reported (in French).

In some parts of France schools and colleges have cancelled classes. In Soissons, north of Paris, the storm smashed a rose window in the historic cathedral and damaged the organ.

Drivers have been warned of treacherous conditions on some German roads, because of snow and black ice. Three motorists died in crashes in Bavaria.

Meanwhile, flood defences have been reinforced on Belgium's coast.

The cold snap across Europe has claimed more than 65 lives. Poland and much of south-eastern Europe, including Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and western Turkey, are in the grip of heavy snow and freezing cold.

Thousands of migrants in the Balkans are poorly protected against the icy conditions, as many are still in tents and have little heating.

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said several migrants had died from cold and exhaustion in Bulgaria.

It urged Greece to move more quickly to transfer migrants to better facilities on the mainland, following a report that on the island of Samos at least 1,000 people were sheltering in unheated buildings.

The wind and snow in Germany forced Lufthansa to cancel 125 flights at Frankfurt/Main airport.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn also set a 200km/h speed limit on high-speed ICE trains, which caused some travel delays. – BBC</s>UNITED NATIONS
• Thousands of refugees and migrants are grappling with freezing conditions as severe winter weather sweeps across Europe, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said, as it stepped up assistance.

Ms Eri Kaneko, associate spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday that in Greece, hundreds of people had been transferred to better accommodation in Lesvos and Chios over the past week.

In Serbia, some 1,200 refugees still stayed in inadequate informal sites in the Belgrade city centre, including up to 300 unaccompanied or separated young children.

The agency expressed concern over reports that several people had died because of the harsh conditions as they tried to enter or travel across Europe, including five since the beginning of this year.

UNHCR spokesman Cecile Pouilly told a press briefing in Geneva on Friday: "Saving lives is the most urgent priority right now.

"We are extremely worried about continued reports of pushbacks in all the countries along the Western Balkans. These practices are simply unacceptable and must be halted, as they place the lives of refugees and migrants at heightened risk and violate their most fundamental rights."

Since the end of last week, a winter cold snap across Europe has killed more than 60 people, with homeless people and migrants stranded in countries like Greece and Serbia most at risk.

In France, a woman was killed by a falling tree in her garden in a village near the Mediterranean resort of Nice, while a woman in Albania was found dead on Thursday outside her home in the southern town of Saranda.

The storm, officially named Egon, also battered Belgium and Germany, where the key international hub of Frankfurt airport cancelled 120 flights.

At one point overnight, 330,000 homes were without power in France, although this was reduced to 35,000 by Friday night.

Eurostar cancelled two trains between London and Paris, while 180 passengers were forced to spend a chilly night on a high- speed train from Brussels to the French capital that finally arrived 10 hours late.

The World Meteorological Organisation said in a statement that the high-pressure weather system was moving slowly eastwards over Europe. In Ukraine, officials said sub-zero temperatures across the country have claimed 40 lives since late December.
A winter storm hits Europe with 330,000 people in France losing power, thousands of people in Great Britain evacuated and travel disrupted.