Saturday, February 11, 2012

Death toll mounts as storms lash Europe

By: Our Staff Reporter | February 28, 2010, 5:37 pm |

Hurricane-force winds, surging seas and driving rain lashed western Europe on Sunday, leaving at least 16 people dead and more than a million households without power. Dubbed "Xynthia", the Atlantic storm crashed against the western coasts of France and Spain overnight, bringing with it a band of foul weather stretching from Portugal to the Netherlands. Gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour (93 mph) and eight metre (26 foot) waves battered the western coast of France, spreading floods inland and sending residents scurrying onto rooftops. "We were warned, but I didn't think it could do this," said 62-year-old retiree Jean-Francois Dikczyk, who saw sea water surge several hundred metres inland and smash though bay windows into his house in the town of Yves.