Coastal storm lashes Western Europe, killing at least six people

Storm Ciarán on Thursday brought heavy rain and strong winds to Britain after battering northwestern France overnight with wind gusts of more than 100 miles per hour. Falling trees killed six people across France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. The storm left about 1.2 million French homes and thousands of people in England without electricity. Britain’s weather agency on Thursday issued its second-highest level of alert in parts of southern England, and the Port of Dover suspended all operations as the storm moved north. Spain’s state-run weather agency also issued weather warnings.

How has the storm affected travel? Officials in France warned residents to stay home. The Dutch airline KLM canceled hundreds of flights to and from Amsterdam. Local trains were halted across France and international trains between Amsterdam and Paris were canceled. 

Dig deeper: Listen to Myrna Brown’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about how the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s annual Disaster Relief Fund is running out.