Waves are seen off the coast of France ahead of Storm Franklin’s landfall. AFP
Massive evacuation operations are underway in Britain as Storm Franklin hit the country on Monday. It is the third storm to hit Britain in a week and comes days after powerful Eunice left millions without power. According to news agency Reuters, 1.5 lakh British households are still off the grid due to that storm.
The authorities have warned of “severe disruptions” as Storm Franklin passes through the country. Flooding was reported in Northern Ireland and people in Yorkshire and Manchester were forced to leave their homes for safety.
The UK’s Met Office said on Twitter, “The storm is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rain to the UK on Sunday and Monday. The strongest winds will be in Northern Ireland where an Amber weather warning has been issued.”
An AMBER #wind warning is in force across parts of Northern Ireland until 7am#StormFranklin
Stay #WeatherAware
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 21, 2022
Amber warning means a spell of very strong winds. The Met Office has also given a list of what to expect as the powerful storm brings with it heavy rain. Flying debris is likely and could lead to injuries, damage to buildings and trees is expected, which will lead to longer road journeys and cancellation of rail, air and ferry services, said the Met Office.
For Wales, Northern Ireland, most of England and parts of south-west Scotland have been put under a yellow warning, the weather office further said.
A video tweeted by the Environment Agency North West on Sunday night showed the flood gates being opened on the Mersey to the Didsbury Basin to protect homes.
The authorities managing the train service in the affected regions have “strongly recommended” that people do not travel.
“We are strongly recommending not to travel today. Storms over the past week will have tested the infrastructure and with Storm Franklin today, we will have severe disruption across our network,” CrossCountry Trains, which runs services from Aberdeen, through Birmingham and to the South West, said on Twitter.
Good morning.
I’m afraid it’s bad news. We are strongly recommending not to travel today.
Storms over the past week will have tested the infrastructure and with Storm Franklin today, we will have severe disruption across our network.
Details via https://t.co/CRUvFOuXvEpic.twitter.com/4wVoYe6Bms
— CrossCountry trains (@CrossCountryUK) February 21, 2022
Last week, fierce Atlantic storm Eunice brought record winds of up to 122 mph (196 kph) to Britain, killing three people and causing widespread disruption. At least six more deaths were reported in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Before Eunice, the region was battered by Storm Dudley. Nearly 1 million homes lost power in November when a storm hit northeast England and eastern Scotland.
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