Storms Boelo, Austen Leave Over 150,000 Homes Without Power Across Europe

Storms batter northern Europe, hitting power supplies, flights and phones

More than 150,000 homes lost power as storms Boelo and Austen passed through northern Europe within 24 hours of each other, while hundreds of flights were cancelled and phone networks were silenced.

The storms caused disruption in Britain, France and Germany, with authorities in the three countries reporting widespread power cuts.

Britain records widespread disruption

More than 82,000 homes in Britain were without power, while nearly 60,000 homes in France and at least 10,000 in Germany were affected, authorities said.

Britain’s Energy Networks Association said more than 400,000 homes had lost power at some point during the storms.

Winds of up to 135km (84 miles) an hour were recorded in Argyll and Bute in western Scotland.

Fallen trees and power cables blocked roads and rail lines across Britain, adding to the disruption caused by the storms.

The storm damage affected essential services as well as transport, with power supplies and phone networks disrupted and flights cancelled.

Damage along the coast

Part of the pier at Brighton on the southern England coast was blown away during Storm Austen on Friday.

The damaged section of the pier had not been used since a fire in 2003.

Storms Boelo and Austen hit northern Europe within a short period, bringing strong winds and widespread interruptions across several countries.

The scale of the power cuts was larger than the number of homes without electricity at any one time, with Britain’s Energy Networks Association saying hundreds of thousands of homes had been affected at some stage.

Source: South China Morning Post