~ Summer Carnival cancelled ~
AMSTERDAM--One man was killed in the severe summer storm which swept across much of the Netherlands on Saturday. The man died when a tree was blown down and hit the car he was sitting in next to Bilderberg Hotel in Wolfheze near Arnhem, news agency ANP reported. Other people were injured in Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and Rotterdam, broadcaster NOS said, and there was severe disruption to public transport.
Winds of up to 110 kilometres per hour (68 miles) battered the country on Saturday afternoon, with the strongest gust registered at the port of IJmuiden at 121 kilometres per hour or 75 miles at Hurricane-1 category speed.
Weather bureau Weeronline said the gales were the strongest recorded in the summer since official records began in 1901.
In Amsterdam, two people were injured when a tree fell on the car they were sitting in. The driver had to be freed by emergency services.
According to local broadcaster AT5, there were hundreds of reports of storm damage in the capital and streetcar services were cancelled for a time.
In Apeldoorn, a motorist was seriously injured when a tree fell on the vintage car he was driving in.
In Rotterdam, one person was hit by a support for a market stall which was blown off, and taken to hospital.
Train services to and from Amsterdam Central Station were cancelled and the area around Hollands Spoor Station in The Hague was closed for a time after a crane became unstable. Trees on the line also disrupted rail services in many other parts of the country.
The A4 motorway was also closed for a time. At Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, dozens of flights were cancelled or delayed on what traditionally was a busy holiday weekend.
Several events, including the Rotterdam Summer Carnival and the Amsterdam Live on Stage Festival were cancelled because of the weather, including concerts by George Clinton and Funkadelic.
“The decision to cancel the event has not been easy. We investigated all possible alternatives, but the expected weather conditions were simply too risky, said Summer Festival Director Guus Dutrieux.
According to the festival director, it was impossible to move the street parade to a different date. “The organisation is too large for that.” He could not say how much the financial damage would be and if the insurance would cover the cancellation.
Organiser Rodney Lont of DUCOS Productions was disappointed. He said the decision was “horrible” for all volunteers and dancers. They had been waiting anxiously since Friday evening because of the summer storm. The builders of the various floats had been working on their creations since January.
Some 2,500 dancers and 25 floats were to take part in the parade. It is for the first time in 31 years of Summer Carnival that the event had to be called off. Summer Carnival attracts some 750,000 visitors annually. Many participants are from the Dutch Caribbean.
