Storm Darragh in pictures: The areas worst affected as UK hit with 90mph winds
Dec 10, 2024 | Source: uk.news.yahoo.com
Two people were killed on Saturday as Storm Darragh hit the country with wind speeds of up to 93mph, causing widespread travel disruption and leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.
Millions of people in parts of South West England and Wales were urged to stay indoors as a rare Met Office red warning for wind came into effect at 1am on Saturday.
Football coach Paul Fiddler died after a tree fell on his Citroen van while driving on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, on Saturday morning.
Later that afternoon, a man named online as Kher Hussain Shahin, was killed in the same way while driving in Erdington, Birmingham.
With clean-up operations underway across the UK, the Energy Networks Association said around 118,000 customers were still without power in the evening.
A yellow weather warning for wind issued by the Met Office for all of England and Wales for Sunday has since lifted, with winds expected to gradually ease with noticeably less rainfall by Wednesday, the forecaster said, although temperatures are expected to stay in the single figures.
Here, Yahoo News takes a look at some of the areas worst affected by Storm Darragh.
With Storm Darragh approaching Great Britain from the west, Wales was particularly vulnerable to the storm, with coastal areas of the country placed under a rare Met Office red alert.
Although the worst of the storm is now over, a number of Transport for Wales services remain suspended, with the operator advising customers not to travel on Sunday.
As of Monday morning, two flood warnings had been issued by Natural Resources Wales and 14 flood alerts.
Hundreds of trees were toppled over in the West Midlands on Saturday, one of which fell onto a car and killed the driver.
In a statement on Saturday, West Midlands Police said the man was killed on Silver Birch Road, Erdington, shortly after 3pm.
The following day, the driver was named on social media as Kher Hussain Shahin as tributes poured in, according to BirminghamLive.
The city council's cabinet member for environment and transport, Majid Mahmood said: "My thoughts are prayers are with the family of Kher Hussain Shahin who was killed when his car was hit by a tree in Erdington.
"The family will be sitting at a local masjid tomorrow, and the details of the janaza (funeral) will be announced soon in sha Allah. May Allah SWT grant the brother the highest place in paradise and give the family patience. Ameen."
In a Facebook post, Mohammed Idress said: "Very tragic. My deepest sympathy and condolences to the family. May Allah grant the highest place in Paradise to the Deceased."
Sgt Benjamin Parsons said: "Our thoughts are with the man's family at this time, and his next of kin have been informed. A report will be passed onto the coroner. Anyone who saw what happened or who may have dashcam or mobile phone footage, is asked to please get in touch."
Three of four lanes on the M42 between Solihull and Birmingham Airport/NEC were closed on Saturday night after a van was hit by a tree, BirminghamLive reports, while overnight roadworks were cancelled due to the storm.
As water levels rose on the River Wye on Sunday, roads were left flooded in Hereford, with flood warnings remaining in place in the area as of Monday morning.
A number of roads were closed across Somerset on Sunday after Storm Darragh brought trees and power cables crashing down.
Thousands of homes in region were still without power, while small businesses near the Bristol Channel in Somerset said tiles had flown off their buildings and they had faced delivery issues.
Eleanor Sedgwick, 23, a front-of-house supervisor at Scarlett's in Clevedon, said the cafe did not open on Saturday morning because it was "too big of a risk".
Gusts of up to 70mph caused extensive damage to Northern Ireland's electricity network, with thousands left without power on Sunday morning.
Around 48,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Co Antrim saw the most impact, with power station EP Ballylumford temporarily halting electricity generation on Saturday following damage to a chimney and scores of roads blocked by fallen trees.
A bus also crashed close to Belfast International Airport and a loyalist mural in north Belfast was damaged.
Storm Darragh brought severe disruption to the North West of England, with a man in his 40s killed after a tree fell onto his van in Lancashire.
Paul Fiddler was driving his Citroen van on the A59 at Longton, near Preston, at about 9am on Saturday at the time of his death – the first of two linked to Storm Darragh.
In a statement, his club, Lytham Town FC, said: “A well loved coach, football player, gaffer but most of all a true friend. Paul, thank you for everything mate. Our thoughts are with the Lytham Town lads, his friends and family at this time. Rest in Peace Paul. We will miss you.”
Fiddler, who according to the Independent also worked at a local TV shop, was described as “the best uncle” by his niece, Katie Elliot.
In a Facebook post, she wrote: “I wish I could have known or even said goodbye to you. I am missing you more than ever, and you will always be in my heart. All I could ask for is for you to message me back and make fun of me like you always would and speak to you for one last time."
The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton was called off on Saturday morning as winds of 70mph hit the region, with officials deciding the risk to safety was too high.
Parts of Devon were also affected by the Met Office's red "danger to life" warning, with a number of roads blocked in both directions and a tree falling on a car at a Christmas fayre event.
No one was harmed and members of the public helped removed some of the debris, reports DevonLive. Meanwhile a fallen oak tree in Tiverton resulted in a partial evacuation of a block of flats, with some residents prevented from leaving the area in their vehicles.
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