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UK grapples with severe floods, storm death toll rises to 3

LONDON (AP) - Britain issued severe flood warnings Monday, advising of life-threatening danger after Storm Dennis dumped weeks' worth of rain in some places. A woman was found dead after being swept away by the floodwaters, the storm's third confirmed victim.

To the east, Dennis' gale-force winds also left nine people injured in Germany as their vehicles crashed into broken trees littering roads and train tracks. Flooding and power outages were reported elsewhere in northern Europe.

By Monday evening, Britain's Environment Agency issued seven severe flood warnings in the central English counties of Herefordshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire . Another 200 lower-level flood warnings were also in place, meaning that flooding was expected.

Some 480 flood warnings and alerts were issued across England on Monday, the highest number on record, the agency said.

The storm's confirmed death toll rose to three as West Mercia Police said a body had been found in the search for a 55-year-old woman who had been missing near Tenbury in Worcestershire since Sunday.

A man pulled from the water in the same incident was airlifted to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition, police said.

The weather system brought winds of more than 145 kph (90 mph) and up to 150 millimeters (6 inches) of rain to Britain over the weekend. And the tumult is not over.

'œWe expect disruptive weather into the middle of this week bringing a significant flood risk for the West Midlands, and there are flood warnings in place across much of England,'' said Toby Willison, Executive Director of Operations at Britain's Environment Agency.

Forecasters said river levels in parts of northern England had yet to reach their peak. In the northern England city of York, authorities were piling up more than 4,000 sandbags as the Rover Ouse continued to rise. It's expected to peak on Tuesday.

Other residents in Wales and western England were cleaning up Monday after the storm flooded roads, railways, homes and businesses and disrupted travel across Britain. Some told stories of fleeing for their lives.

Jeanette Cox, 68 and her daughter Rachel woke up to the sound of water in their home in the Welsh village of Nantgarw, near Cardiff, about at 4 am. Sunday. Cox said the only object that survived downstairs was her wedding day photograph that she had kept on a windowsill. Her husband Bill died from cancer in 2009.

"It was pitch black,'' she said. 'œAll you could hear was the water running. I've never seen anything like it. I was very frightened."

Britain's environment secretary said climate change was making extreme weather events more common. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative government denied it was unprepared for such storms.

"We'll never be able to protect every single household, just because of the nature of climate change and the fact that these weather events are becoming more extreme, but we've done everything that we can do with a significant sum of money," Environment Secretary George Eustice said.

In Germany, at least nine people were injured in weather-related car accidents as high winds brought trees down onto roads and train tracks.

A commuter train with 67 passengers also crashed into a fallen tree in the western German city of Dortmund, but nobody was injured. And in the German city of Hamburg, the city's famous fish market was flooded for the second time this month.

Further north, strong winds and heavy rains caused flooding, road closures and electricity outages across the Nordic and Baltic regions and forced the cancellation of several ferries between Denmark and Norway.

In Denmark, the southwestern city of Kolding was flooded as gale force winds and heavy rains battered the area. In nearby Horsens, police protectively evacuated residents near Bygholm Lake out of fear that a levee would collapse.

In southwestern Norway, more than half a dozen roads and several mountain passes were closed amid heavy snow and high winds.

___

Olsen reported from Copenhagen. Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

A coach submerged in floodwater from the River Teme near Lindridge, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Jacob King/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A general view of the aftermath of Storm Dennis in Acaster Malbis, England, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. Britain issued five severe flood alerts on Monday, warning of a danger to life after Storm Dennis dumped weeks worth of rain in some places. It gale-force winds also injured nine people in weather-related car accidents in Germany and caused flooding and power outages elsewhere in northern Europe. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Bodysurfers enter the sea on a beach in St Ives, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from "life-threatening floods" in Wales and Scotland. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) The Associated Press
A car submerged in flood water in York, north England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Undated image released Monday Feb. 17, 2020, by Irish Coast Guard showing the abandoned cargo ship MV Alta, that has washed up on the coast of County Cork, near Ballycotton, southern Ireland. The MV Alta is believed to have had 10 crew members aboard who were rescued by the US Coast Guard. Since September 2018, the ship has been drifting with no crew aboard, and it was last seen off the coast of West Africa before being washed up in southern Ireland during Storm Dennis. (Irish Coast Guard via AP) The Associated Press
Flooding in York, north England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A coach submerged in floodwater from the River Teme near Lindridge, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Jacob King/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Vehicles submerged in floodwater from the River Teme near Lindridge, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Jacob King/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Vehicles submerged in floodwater from the River Teme near Lindridge, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Jacob King/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Water splashes over a ferry pier during a storm surge at the fish market in Hamburg, Germany, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP) The Associated Press
The fish market is flooded during a storm surge in Hamburg, Germany, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP) The Associated Press
Bodysurfers enter the sea on a beach in St Ives, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from "life-threatening floods" in Wales and Scotland. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) The Associated Press
Walkers watch from a headland as the waves pound the shoreline around St Ives, south west England, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from "life-threatening floods" in Wales and Scotland. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) The Associated Press
Flood water in Tenbury Wells, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Flood water in Tenbury Wells, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A woman walks over a temporary bridge erected over flood water in York, north England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Rachel Cox inspecting flood damage in her kitchen at 37 Oxford street, Nantgarw, in south Wales Monday Feb. 17, 2020, where residents are returning to their homes to survey and repair the damage in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Rescue operations continue as emergency services take residents to safety, in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis is roaring across Britain with high winds and heavy rains, prompting authorities to issue 350 flood warnings, including a 'œred warning" alert for life-threatening flooding in south Wales. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Rescue operations continue as emergency services take residents to safety, in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis is roaring across Britain with high winds and heavy rains, prompting authorities to issue 350 flood warnings, including a 'œred warning" alert for life-threatening flooding in south Wales. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) The Associated Press
Rescue operations continue as emergency services take families to safety, after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from "life-threatening floods" in Wales and Scotland. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A member of the public is rescued after flooding in Nantgarw, Wales, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. Storm Dennis roared across Britain on Sunday, lashing towns and cities with high winds and dumping so much rain that authorities urged residents to protect themselves from 'œlife-threatening floods" in Wales and Scotland. (Ben Birchall/PA via AP) The Associated Press
An EU flag is seen underwater in the aftermath of Storm Dennis, in Hereford, England, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. Britain issued five severe flood alerts on Monday, warning of a danger to life after Storm Dennis dumped weeks worth of rain in some places. It gale-force winds also injured nine people in weather-related car accidents in Germany and caused flooding and power outages elsewhere in northern Europe. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A general view of the aftermath of Storm Dennis, in Maidstone, England, Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. Britain issued five severe flood alerts on Monday, warning of a danger to life after Storm Dennis dumped weeks worth of rain in some places. It gale-force winds also injured nine people in weather-related car accidents in Germany and caused flooding and power outages elsewhere in northern Europe. (Michael Drummond/PA via AP) The Associated Press
A woman brushes water and debris from the Mary Stone Properties shopfront, which has been damaged by flood water, in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, England, Monday Feb. 17, 2020. Storm Dennis hammered Britain Sunday, bringing a month's worth of rain in just 48 hours to parts of the UK. Rivers across Britain burst their banks and a number of severe flood warnings remained in place as authorities strove to get people to safety and to protect homes and businesses. (Steve Parsons/PA via AP) The Associated Press
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