On the international news beat this weekend in the UK, Storm Dennis has wreaked havoc since making landfall in Britain with hundreds of flights cancelled, trains delayed and already flood-ravaged areas preparing for their second bout of devastating extreme weather.
Mail Online reports: “No fewer than 40,000 passengers have been affected by travel disruption so far as budget airline easyJet cancels 234 flights.
“Another 60 will not take off tomorrow – affecting a further 10,000 people – as the storm brings 70mph winds and 100mm of rainfall to some areas.
“Amber weather warnings are in place across Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire until 3pm tomorrow.
“Storm Dennis has claimed its first two victims today as a man who fell overboard off the coast of Kent was found dead in the water, just hours after a teenage boy died after being washed up along the shore.
“Lifeboats and the coastguard helicopter had been scouring the sea near Margate Harbour, Kent, after reports that a man had fallen in.“It is understood the crewman failed to turn up for his shift and was not in his cabin, resulting in the the alarm being raised.”
A coastguard spokesman said: “At around 1pm, after many hours of searching, a body was sadly found in the water by the RNLI Margate lifeboat and has been brought to shore.”
According to the report: “Just hours before, emergency crews and a rescue helicopter were scrambled to Herne Bay, Kent – only 20 minutes away.
“Paramedics battled to save a teenage boy who was found washed up along the shore as the fourth named storm of the year raged on, but they were unable to.
“Storm Ciara claimed three victims after a falling tree killed a 58-year-old Mercedes driver, a 77-year-old man fell over and banged his head on ice and a falling branch killed a dog walker in his sixties.
“The Environmental Agency have warned that due to the water-soaked ground left over by Storm Ciara, the latest flooding is expected to be worse than what has been seen so far, the BBC reports.
“While Storm Ciara had stronger wind speeds than Storm Dennis is predicted to have, the latest weather episode was caused by an extreme drop in air pressure, 24 millibars within 24 hours.
“This phenomenon is known as a ‘bomb cyclone’ and Storm Dennis’s dramatic reduction in air pressure was so extreme, it was twice what is usually necessary to merit the title.”
