Storm Evert blew through the country and region yesterday.
It’s the first storm of the year. Storm Christoph hit the North Sea in Janaury. It, however, didn’t produce gale-force winds in the Netherlands. This is according to Weerplaza.
Even Darcy wasn’t an official windstorm. But the heavy snowfall and gale force winds were reason enough to warrant a name for this weather system. Darcy resulted in a code red weather alarm.
Damage
Storm Evert left some destruction in its wake. It blew the glass facade of De Wilderen primary school in Waalre loose. The school called the fire brigade in to prevent major damage.
School staff had noticed that the glass front had come loose from the wall. “We knew something was wrong because of the sound,” says Carin Vermeulen on behalf of the school. We quickly brought the children inside. ”
“They had to stay inside, and the playground has been cordoned off.” There was concern that the entire glass wall would come down.
At an old farmhouse on Oude Kerk Street, also in Waalre, the storm blew a few stones off the building. No one was injured. The police directed pedestrians away until the fire brigade arrived. Firefighters used a ladder and removed the remaining loose bricks. The footpath was then opened again.
Eindhoven
In Eindhoven, the COVID-19 testing facility on Antoon Coolenlaan was temporarily closed due too. This was a precaution, according to the regional health department (GGD). According to a GGD spokeswoman, they couldn’t guarantee visitors’ safety.
It has, however, since reopened. Everyone with an appointment can get tested from 14:30 onward again. Anyone who had to miss their turn can also come. The test street is open until 19:00 today.
Other parts of the country didn’t come off as lightly. A national newspaper reports that there was even one fatality in Bemelen in the province of Limburg. A tree fell on a walker. The person died from their injuries, say police.
€30 million
Other newspapers reported that yesterday’s storm caused damage of at least €30 million. This is damage to buildings and vehicles, says the Dutch Association of Insurers. The reports come from all over the country.
The stormy weather caused strong wind gusts of between 75 and 100 km/h throughout the country, weerplaza writes on their website. These wind gusts cause problems, like blowing trucks over.
❌ | Door een gekantelde vrachtwagen op knooppunt Oudenrijn is de verbindingsweg van de #A2 vanuit Amsterdam naar de #A12 richting Arnhem DICHT. Meer verkeersinfo: https://t.co/tcfggaqOM8 pic.twitter.com/lVkV1Y76LP
— Rijkswaterstaat Verkeersinformatie (@RWSverkeersinfo) March 11, 2021
This is a Rijkswaterstaat tweet from yesterday. It reads, “Due to an overturned lorry at the Oudenrijn junction, the offramp from the A2 from Amsterdam to the A12 towards Arnhem is CLOSED.”
The Dutch weather service (KNMI) has issued a countrywide code yellow for Saturday. People can expect strong gusts of about 80 km/hour. During showers, wind gusts of up to 90 km/h are possible. The wind and gusts will die down as the day progresses.
Source: Studio040
Translator: Melinda Walraven
