A powerful windstorm--the second in less than a week--has buffeted the United Kingdom and France with damages that could run into the hundreds of millions, one British insurance spokesman said.

Windstorm Johanna struck both countries with winds in excess of 80 miles per hour, according to an alert issued by Guy Carpenter, a subsidiary of Marsh & McLennan Companies.

Malcolm Tarling, a spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, told NU Online that it is too early to assess the damage from Johanna that is expected to last until tomorrow. He said insured losses could equal or exceed Storm Kyrill in 2007, which resulted in ?350 million ($702 million U.S.) in the United Kingdom, but that figure is speculative at this time.

This is the second major storm to hit the United Kingdom and parts of Europe in a week. Windstorm Emma, which struck last week, caused insured losses of over $1 billion, according to a catastrophe modeling firm.

Guy Carpenter said Windstorm Johanna has caused some damage and numerous flood warnings, and severe weather is forecast for the next couple of days.

Reports said around 10,000 homes in Southern England lost power and dozens of homes and businesses were flooded.

The storm brought transport chaos to many parts of the country. More than 200 flights were cancelled at airports throughout the United Kingdom and ferry service was interrupted. Train service was also affected by fallen trees. The nation's subway system suffered flooding.

France also suffered power outages and two people were killed in storm-related accidents, Guy Carpenter said.

In its CAT-i report, Guy Carpenter did not issue an estimate on potential losses.

The modeling agency Risk Management Solutions noted that Johanna is a slow moving storm, but very large, unlike Kyrill that hit in January last year but was more intense. RMS continues to monitor the storm.

Insured losses from Kyrill, which struck deep into Europe, ran from $4 billion to more than $10 billion.

Special Reports /

Storm Johanna Loss In France, U.K May Top 100s Of Millions

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