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A storm in France and Italy has caused severe flooding and at least two people have died and nine are missing and hundreds of rescues are underway.
the UK has been hit by the fringes of the storm, with heavy rains and winds that will persist throughout the weekend.
In France, Nice and its surroundings were hit the hardest overnight, with 500mm (20 inches) of rain recorded over 12 hours in some areas, according to Meteo France.
A road in La Bollene-Vesubie was destroyed by the rain
That equates to nearly a year of average rainfall, more than on October 3, 2015, when 20 people died in the floods in and around Cannes on the French Riviera.
In the town of Sambughetto, in the northwestern Italian region of Piedmont, a record 630 mm (24.8 inches) of rain fell in 24 hours.
Roads have been razed and homes were badly damaged in the mountainous region on the border between France and Italy.
French authorities said firefighters were looking for at least eight missing people.
Among them are two firefighters whose vehicle was washed away by a swollen river.
Waves hit the shore in Nice as Storm Alex hits the French Riviera
Christian Estrosi, mayor of Nice, expressed his “sympathy” for the families of the disappeared, saying the flood was the worst in the area in more than a century, adding that he was surprised by what he saw when he flew over the scene in a helicopter.
He said that more than 100 houses have been destroyed or severely damaged.
Firefighters said several dozen people were evacuated from their homes overnight.
A bridge in the commune of Roquebilliere was destroyed
French President Emmanuel Macron said he is thinking of the victims and their loved ones and expressed his gratitude for the rescuers.
“Together we will get through this,” he tweeted.
French Prime Minister Jean Castex and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin are expected to arrive in the area later on Saturday.
The storm caused strong winds of more than 180 km / h in Brittany between Thursday and Friday.
In Italy, a firefighter died after being struck by a falling tree and another man died after his car was swept into a river when the road sank. Another Italian disappeared at nightfall.
It was feared that the storm would cause flooding and that the water level in the Po River, one of the largest rivers in northern Italy, would rise 3 meters.
In Venice, the Italian city’s flood barriers were deployed for the first time on Saturday, delayed for a long time.
The Mose flood defense system was first erected in Venice as it prepared for the high tides brought on by the storm.
Forecasters warned that the storm could combine with high tides to flood the sinking city.
The network of 78 bright yellow barriers that protect the entrance to the Venetian lagoon began to rise from the seabed more than three hours before the scheduled high tide.
Fueled by strong winds and heavy rain, the tide was expected to reach 130 cm (51 inches), well below the 187 cm (74 inches) tide that sank much of Venice under water last November, but it did. enough to leave low areas deep underwater.
Elevated walkways were installed in St. Mark’s Square before the heavy rains
The barrier system, called Mose, was designed in 1984 and was due to enter service in 2011, but the project was plagued with corruption, excessive costs, and long delays.
It successfully protected the city from major flooding, providing relief after years of flooding.
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