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STOCKHOLM (AFP) Jan 10, 2005 Northern Europe began picking itself up Monday after some of the most violent storms in years left a wake of death, destruction and flooding across the Nordic and Baltic countries and northern England. As the storm subsided meteorologists warned that more bad weather was building up in the North Sea. Fourteen people were killed in the storms -- crushed to death in their cars by falling trees, hit by flying debris and drowned. Seven people were killed in Sweden, four in Denmark and three in England. Two 19-year-old canoeists were missing, believed dead, after disappearing on a lake in northern Germany. The storm caused massive disruption to electricity supplies in the Nordic and Baltic regions. Of 400,000 Swedish homes deprived of electricity at the height of the storm Sunday, 220,000 were still without power Monday, and one generating company said repairs would run into the spring. The hurricane-force winds caused damage of about 500 million Swedish kronor (55.5 million euros, 72 million dollars), according to the Laensfoersaekringar insurance group. In Denmark, 16,500 homes were still without power on Monday, and damage from the storm could amount to as much as one billion Danish kronormillion euros, 176 million dollars), according to some estimates. The Latvian government declared a national energy crisis. At least 40 percent of the country remained without power after winds gusting at up to 144 kilometers (86 miles) an hour ripped off the roofs of houses, toppled power lines and uprooted trees. Engineers said they hoped to restore supplies late Monday to all urban centers with the exception of Valdemarpils and Talsi in the west. In Lithuania, the least-hit of the Baltic states, little flooding was reported but there were widespread power cuts with some 40,000 people still in darkness Monday. Ferry traffic with Estonia's islands, which was suspended during the storm, was restored, officials said. The storm wiped 20 meters (65 feet) from the coastline of an island off the northern coast of Germany as waves washed over sand dunes, and local environmentalists said they feared the damage would worsen if the foul weather persisted. In northwest Britain, "the level of flood waters in Carlisle, as I understand it, is the highest ever recorded," said Environment Minister Elliot Morley. So bad was the damage in northern England that schools in Carlisle were closed, hospital operations cancelled, and thousands left waiting to return to homes that were still without power. More rain fell over the region than usually falls in a month, making access to the city difficult, a police spokeswoman said. Weather forecasters said a respite for the region could be brief, with more heavy rain and gale force winds expected late Tuesday and into Wednesday. All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.
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