The Netherlands brought to standstill after first snow in over a decade
The Hague, Feb 7 (efe-epa).- Storm Darcy brought the first snow to the Netherlands in more than a decade, dumping up to 30 centimeters as rail, road and air traffic were all suspended on Sunday.
The disruption has also affected Covid-19 testing centers, which have been closed for the next few days.
The Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) declared a “red alert” throughout the country due to the snowstorm and more than 90 kilometer per hour winds.
Traffic at Eindhoven Airport has been suspended for the day and dozens of flights have been cancelled or delayed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
In addition, NS Railways has canceled all rail traffic for the entire day because of the wintry weather. “At this moment, there are too many disruptions to provide a train service, information about the expectation of train traffic for tomorrow will be announced later,” the public transport company reported.
In major cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague or Utrecht, streetcars and subways are also not running, until further notice, and numerous home delivery services have been cancelled. “The safety of our delivery drivers is our priority. That means that customers will see a more limited offer on the web,” local service Thuisbezorgd said.
Dutch television NOS has broadcast images of several cities with cars stuck in the snow, stalled trains and broken snowplows, and said that the roadside assistance services are unable to cope with calls from drivers with breakdowns.
The snowstorm was accompanied by strong winds that have left a wind chill of minus 10 degrees Celsius, according to weather stations in central Netherlands.
Many citizens have gone out to enjoy the snow in their neighborhoods, despite the government’s warning not to go out in groups of more than two people to avoid contagion of coronavirus, and a recommendation not to ski to avoid accidents, since hospitals are already saturated by the pandemic.
The storm also dumped snow across large parts of northern and central Germany, causing similar travel disruption. EFE
ir/ks
