Staff Writer
A severe summer storm that hit the Netherlands and parts of Germany on Wednesday resulted in at least two fatalities, the falling of trees onto homes, and the cancellation or delay of hundreds of flights at one of the busiest airports in the continent.
Storm Poly struck the nation with significant rainfall and strong gusts, prompting the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute to declare its highest alarm in three regions. According to the institution, one gust was measured at little over 145 kilometers per hour (90 mph) on the shore west of Amsterdam.
Early in the afternoon, as the storm diminished and moved toward the northeast, the alert level was lowered.
The storm blew through during the typically bustling morning rush hour, and Dutch media showed images of uprooted trees and wind-blown debris littering streets in Amsterdam, The Hague, and the city of Haarlem.
According to police spokesman Nina Moers, a tree fell on a car in Haarlem, killing a woman. A tree fell on a houseboat docked in one of Amsterdam’s famous canals.
Some regions of northwest Germany were also impacted by strong wind gusts. Police said that a tree fell on a pedestrian in Rhede, a municipality close to the Dutch border, and she died as a result. The victim was initially thought to be a man by the police.
Videos showed trees uprooted onto a tram in The Hague, collapsed on a row of houses in Haarlem, and dispersed across roadways. Parks in Amsterdam were closed as the storm slammed the Dutch capital.
Emergency services in Amsterdam’s home province of North Holland, which includes the city, issued a push notification to mobile devices advising residents to stay inside until the storm passed. Authorities on traffic also urged drivers to avoid driving wherever feasible.
One of the largest aviation hubs in Europe, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, predicted on its website that “very limited air traffic will be possible” until the afternoon, causing aircraft cancellations and delays for both arriving and departing passengers.
By mid-afternoon, the wind had subsided enough for more planes to take off and land, but there would still be delays, according to the airport.
In a letter to passengers, Schiphol stated, “Together with airlines, we are striving to send as many travelers as possible to their destinations today.
In the northern Netherlands, the national railroad company stopped all trains.
In Germany, trees fell over a railway line between the cities of Emden and Leer, and some ferries to islands just offshore the North Sea coast had to be canceled.
A route that connects the municipalities of Husum and Niebuell with the popular vacation island of Sylt was also shut down.
