Storm Xynthia kill 51

 

Xynthia is a European windstorm, which crossed Western Europe on 26-28 February. More than 45 people were killed in France, where it was described by the civil defense as the most violent since Lothar in 1999. A further three people were killed in Spain and another in Portugal. The storm also caused power cuts and damage from winds.

 

One million homes were left without power in west France. In the Hautes-Pyrenees, falling tress damaged vehicles and the roofs of houses and barns were blown away, as well as falling rocks on the road. La Faute-sur-Mer, L'Aiguillon-sur-Mer and La Tranche-sur-Mer were flooded with water levels reaching up to 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in).

 

Flooded railway tracks lead to railway delays in France and the rail services in northern Spain were also severely affected. 70 flights from Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris were cancelled by Air France.

 

Météo-France issued its second highest warning (orange) for 27 February and early 28 February for Andorra, Ain, Ariege, Cantal, Finistere, Haute-Garonne, Gironde, Isère, Loire, Haute-Loire Hautes-Pyrenees. It issues its highest warning level (red) for the Charente-Maritime, Vendee, Deux-Sevres and Vienne.

 

Helicopters were sent to rescue people on their roods following flooding in Charente-Maritime, France. An emergency meeting will be held on 28 February by French Premier François Fillon following the effects in France.

 

 

The storm, named Xynthia, was the worst in France since 1999 when 90 people died. Prime Minister Francois Fillon held an emergency cabinet meeting and afterward called the storm a "national catastrophe."n Many of the at least 45 victims in France drowned, while others died when hit by parts of buildings or trees and branches that were ripped off by the wind. At least a dozen people were missing Sunday and 59 others were injured.

 

Three people died in Spain, one was killed in Germany and a child was crushed to death in Portugal. The storm also hit Belgium, with one death reported there. Although Britain was not hit, London's Thames Barrier — the capital's flood defense — was closed Sunday morning as a precaution.

 

Nearly 900,000 people in France were without electricity. Rivers overflowed their banks in Brittany, while high tides and enormous waves swamped Atlantic Ocean communities in the early morning hours. Sea walls broke in the town of L'Aguillon, where the ocean waters reached the roofs of some homes. Helicopters lifted people to safety throughout the day.