Three Dead as Storm Eunice Batters Britain, Damaging Buildings and Shredding Millennium Dome

Wind-damaged sections of the roof of The O2 Arena, formerly the Millennium Dome, are pictu
Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images
Nathaniel Charles

Parts of the United Kingdom have seen fatalities, major building damage, and transport links shut down by Storm Eunice, with winds peaking at a record-breaking 122 mph.

Several people have been killed by the storm so far. A woman in her 30s was tragically killed after a tree fell on a car in Haringey in London, making her the first confirmed fatality as a result of Storm Eunice in England.

Following that first confirmed storm death in the country, a man in his 50s was killed on Merseyside when his vehicle was hit by falling debris. The number rose again when a man driving a truck collided with a fallen tree in Hampshire.

In Ireland, an unnamed man in his 60s was fatally injured — again by a falling tree — in County Wexford.

The deceased individual was reportedly an employee of Wexford County Council and had been involved in trying to clear a fallen tree in the north Wexford area before he was killed.

A spokesperson for Wexford council said in a statement, “our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family, work colleagues and friends at this very difficult time”.

13 pedigree dogs also fell victim to Britain’s stormy weather, with a fallen tree blown over on Thursday hitting a powerline which then fell onto the dogs’ kennels, electrocuting them to death.

The owners said all the dogs aged between six months and seven years died in the “tragic accident”.

Despite the Met Office’s “danger to life” warning, as well as the widely published carnage across the UK — including roofs ripped from homes and downed trees- – Brits still had to be told by the British Coastguard not to go swimming, and even not to go outside to take selfies with the storm after one girl had to be rescued by HM Coastguard in Newquay last night after venturing out into the storm.

“While storm watching can be spectacular, trying to capture the most amazing shot is not worth putting your own safety at risk”, the Cornish coastguard said in response to the incident.

Following the devastation from Storm Eunice in Wales, where 40,000 homes lost power and lorries were been blown over, vast swathes of the South of England being put in a “danger to life” red warning today by the Meteorological Office – the United Kingdom’s national weather service.

The Needles on the Isle of Wight recorded a 122 mph wind speed this morning which is believed to be a new record for England, beating the former title hold the 1987 Great Storm where gusts peaked at 115mph.

The storm has been such a concern that the British government was forced to call an emergency Civil Contingencies Committee meeting – more popularly known as Cobra meeting – after ministers were concerned the storm posed “a risk to life and limb”.

A lorry or HGV (heavy goods vehicle) lays on its side after being blown over by the wind on the M4 motorway near Margam in south Wales, on February 18, 2022 (Photo by GEOFF CADDICK/AFP via Getty Images)

 Storm waves break against Brighton Palace Pier on February 18, 2022 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)

Train and bus services have been cancelled across the country, with the public warned to stay at home.

Initially, the red warning applied to South West England, but by early Friday morning, it had been extended to London and the South East. The Millenium Dome — the eighth largest building in the world by usable volume and — was seriously damaged, with strong gales tearing large portions of the fabric roof.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing the tent covering of the Dome — which now forms part of the O2 arena — flapping in the wind today with one saying “more and more parts are getting ripped off”, the Daily Mail reports.

An O2 spokesperson has said that the “affected areas have been cleared and The O2 will remain closed for the rest of the day”.

Alongside the Millenium Dome, multiple other buildings have been battered by the storm including Kent’s Isle of Grain Power Station which had to be “taken offline” after one of its three chimneys was blown over.

Uniper Energy which operates the power station released a statement on Twitter saying that “An incident has occurred at Grain power station, during storm Eunice. We can confirm that there are no casualties and there is no risk to the local community”.

Dungeness nuclear power station also took a beating by Eunice with cladding seen flapping off the side of the non-operational station as the areas was hit by 70 mph winds today.

Brits have however developed a new hobby as a result of Eunice, however, with hundreds of thousands tuning in to watch Big Jet TV, a digital channel that broadcasts flights landing at London Heathrow live, which due to the storm made an eventful showing today.

The host, Jerry Dyer, documents the landing of the planes with often theatrical commentary, often using classic British phrases such as “go on son” or “Flipping heck. Easy son”, as the planes land. A combination of the host’s colourful language and the dramatic footage saw British social media deluged with posts about the broadcast.

Multiple flights were unable to land in the high winds, including two aircraft — one from Scotland and one from Bordeaux — who were both forced to turn around by Storm Eunice and head back to their airport of origin.

Even Brexit boss Nigel Farage was not spared from the storm’s destruction having to divert after a tree blocked the path of his car.

Farage posted a photo on Twitter showing a large tree crushing a van and blocking the road, but thankfully the driver appears to be uninjured with Farage describing them as “very lucky”.

The coastal city of Portsmouth — located just opposite the Isle of Wight — was also hit hard by the storm with one lucky shopper narrowly missing being crushed to death by a falling Crown Bingo sign in Cosham High Street after he was out buying a can of energy drink.

Jamie Webb, 30, described the near-death experience as having “the jump of my life”.

A large floating mobile crane located in Portsmouth’s Tipner scrapyard also broke out of its restraints and ended up being beached on a nearby shoreline as a result of the wind.

Portsmouth City Council published a recommendation advising that schools in the area should not open on Friday.

 

 

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