Winter Here to Stay?

The New Face of Polish Autumn

Flooding, black- outs, damaged railways – the sudden fall of snow and rain accompanied by heavy winds has surprised everybody. The freak weather paralysed Poland yesterday. The Masovian, Lublin, Subcarpathian, Pomeranian, and Warmian-Masurian regions have suffered most. Gigantic waves in the ‘Tri-City‘ caused by 130km/h gales have damaged the wooden structure of Sopot pier. Sea water was also pushed into the Elbląg river and its tributaries, resulting in flooding. The regional road 501 was flooded, blocking the only route to the Vistula Spit. Many people were evacuated with fire-fighters supported by soldiers called in to help.

Throughout the country, millions of people had no electricity as massive branches or even whole trees, cut power lines or broke electricity poles. Public transport ground to a halt also. The worst conditions were in Poland’s mountain regions. Large trucks blocked several roads as they were unable to mount hillside roads. Blackouts and fallen trees stopped trains. The worst situation was on Warsaw-bound routes where trains were forced to stop in the middle of fields with many commuters deciding to walk to the nearest town to seek other means of transport. Okęcie airport was also in trouble when the ILS tracking device malfunctioned, preventing planes from landing. Twelve planes with low fuel had to land elsewhere. The Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured everyone yesterday that the authorities have the situation under control and the damage is already being repaired. He added that he is receiving detailed reports from the energy and power services and fire brigades every three hours. According to the weather forecast, there will only be sunny intervals in the north-east of Poland whereas other regions may experience more rain and snow.
Gazeta Wyborcza

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