The death toll resulting from Storm Ciaran, which has unleashed heavy rains and record winds across Western Europe, climbed to at least 16 by Friday (Nov 3). In addition, large parts of Tuscany, Italy, experienced severe flooding, leading officials to declare a state of emergency following reports of record rainfall by weather specialists.
In the central Tuscany region, at least six people lost their lives, according to Italian officials, after facing the onslaught of heavy winds and rain linked to Storm Ciaran. River Bisenzio in Tuscany overflowed, causing cars to be swept away, and people had to climb onto their roofs to escape the deluge.
Italian rescue services received numerous distress calls from individuals stranded in flooded tunnels or trapped by fallen trees due to the strong winds.
Eugenio Giani, the Governor of Tuscany, described the heavy rain as “unprecedented” and declared a state of emergency in the most severely affected areas of the region after a meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Among the fatalities was an 85-year-old man found drowned in his Montemurlo home, northwest of Florence. Giani emphasized the role of climate change, saying, “What happened tonight in Tuscany has a name: climate change.”
Around 190 people had to evacuate their residences in the historic city of Florence, and in Campi Bisenzio, ground floor properties suffered damage, parked cars were partially submerged, and rescue teams navigated the flooded streets using rubber boats.
Florence’s Mayor, Dario Nardella, described the situation as “critical” as the Arno River’s water level continued to rise. In the Italian city, a man and his wife were discovered dead after their car overturned in Vinci, west of Florence. The Italian Prime Minister has announced an initial state aid package of approximately $5.4 million for the region.
In other European cities, several fatalities were also reported. Off the coast of Portugal, a Danish-flagged sailboat capsized off a beach north of Lisbon, leading to at least three deaths. In the Belgian city of Ghent, a five-year-old Ukrainian boy and a 64-year-old woman were killed by falling branches. In France, a truck driver died when a tree fell on him, and another fatality was reported in the city of Le Havre.
Falling trees also caused the death of a woman in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and another in the south of the Netherlands. As of Friday morning, more than 500,000 homes in France remained without electricity, according to government spokesman Olivier Veran. The French national weather service, Meteo-France, stated that wind gusts in Brittany were “exceptional,” breaking numerous absolute records.
Air, rail, and ferry services experienced cancellations and lengthy delays across several European countries.
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