MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

By Stephanie van den Berg – “BELGRADE — Authorities used explosives, icebreakers and tractors Tuesday in the battle to overcome Europe’s big freeze, as dozens more died of hypothermia and tens of thousands remained cut off by snow.

Around 400 people have now died from the cold weather in Europe since the cold snap began 11 days ago.

While there was some respite for people in Ukraine — where more than 130 deaths have been recorded — the mercury plunged overnight to minus 39.4 degrees Celsius in the Kvilda region of the Czech Republic.

More bodies were found either on the streets, in their cars or in their homes in Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Hungary and across the Balkans.

Authorities in Serbia said that 70,000 people were trapped in snow-bound villages in the south as officials declared an ’emergency situation.'” Read more.

Venice Freezes As Deadly Chill Grips Europe – “The famous waterways of Venice have frozen over as Europe continues to be gripped by a deadly chill. The big freeze has caused traffic problems throughout Europe, blocking roads and shutting down airports. Ten deaths in Italy have been linked to the extreme winter weather, including two people who were crushed under a collapsed roof south of Rome, and a 91-year-old woman in the northeast port of Trieste. In the north, stranded people had to be rescued from their homes, with deep snow reaching 3m (10ft) in some areas. Europe has struggled to cope with a week of bitter cold weather in which the number of dead, most of them homeless, continues to rise every day.” Read more.

Greece and Bulgaria battle flooding as Europe struggles with extreme weather – “A swollen river in Greece bursts its banks, flooding homes and forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency Tuesday, officials said, as rescuers scrambled to a Bulgarian village nearly washed away when a dam collapsed, killing eight people. Bulgaria’s civil defense agency warned that two other, bigger dams were also on the brink of overflowing after days of heavy rain and residents were urged to prepare for an evacuation. Authorities have started a controlled release of water from the dams to prevent overflow… A day after the dam burst, the Bulgarian government declared a day of mourning, and streets in the village of Bisser were covered with sticky mud as people returned to their water-logged homes. At least a dozen houses had collapsed, uprooted trees blocked roads and smashed cars sat abandoned along deserted streets. Veterinary officials were collecting the bodies of dead animals. Bisser Mayor Zlatka Valkova said she received a phone call about the dam burst and tried to get out of her office in time to alert people of the eight-foot-high (2.5-meter) torrent. ‘I rushed out on the street, but then I saw the wave,’ she said. ‘It was terrible, it came with such speed that I couldn’t do anything.'” Read more.