Storm Eunice hits the southern British Isles

Storm Eunice has caused one death in Ireland, injuries to several people in the UK and damage to numerous buildings, in the last hours of its passage through the south of England. The deceased in the Irish town of Wexford died as a result of a falling tree. The gale has also caused dozens of injuries due to blows from broken materials on buildings, especially on roofs. Also, thousands of Britons lost their electricity supply.

The wind reached the highest historical record in the British Isles with 200 kilometers per hour and was measured on the Isle of Wight. The coastal areas frequently registered 150 kilometers per hour. In areas of the interior of Wales or in London, they exceeded 100 kilometers per hour. Fragments of plastic fabric on the roof of the Millennium Tent, an emblematic building in the east of the capital – designed by the recently deceased, Richard Rodgers – were torn from the metal grid.

A lucky coincidence is the drastic reduction in traffic, because many schools are on weekly vacation, the usual break in the middle of the term. The authorities have recommended in any case that unnecessary trips are not made. Many train services and flights have been suspended, although air or rail traffic has not been completely closed.

The Meteorological Office has established amber alerts in most of the affected areas and also red – something that rarely happens in places like London – where the storm is more intense. The storm is expected to leave Wales and the south of England early on Saturday and speeds to drop through the weekend, although there will be occasional high winds and showers.

Although the damage caused by the gusts of wind is omnipresent in the affected areas, it does not seem comparable to that caused by the great storm of 1987. Winds above 150 kilometers per hour were common. 18 people died and an estimated 15 million trees were destroyed.

The emergency services asked that people not call ambulances if there were no injuries from the felling of a tree. The removal of trees or branches on public roads is the task of the municipalities, which had also recommended that residents not leave garbage cans on the street for collection. Images in the media indicate that not everyone followed that recommendation.