The multi-agency group formed to respond to Storm Arwen has now concluded as all occupied homes in Cumbria have had power restored.
Electricity North West confirmed this morning that only a handful of known unoccupied holiday homes and properties being renovated remain without mains network power or being powered by a generator, just over a week on since the major incident was declared in Cumbria.
Over the course of the week, thousands of telephone calls and door knocking has been carried out by teams from various multi-agency organisations and volunteers, working around the clock to check on residents’ safety and welfare and provide advice and support where required.
When Storm Arwen hit Cumbria on Friday 25 November, Electricity North West reported that 118,000 homes were without power. Food vans were deployed to parts of the county where power restoration was problematic and in total over the last week around 9,400 free hot meals have been served to those in need. Engineers from Electricity North West are still working hard to carry out more permanent repairs following the devastation to their network.
Electricity North West are now preparing compensation claims for everyone who has been affected. Information is available on their website www.enwl.co.uk/StormArwen.
The second named storm of the season, Storm Barra is expected to hit Cumbria tomorrow (Tuesday) and multi-agency partners are closely monitoring the situation, however The Met Office are not expecting this to be as severe as Storm Arwen.
Wind speeds are expected to be around 40-50mph inland and around 50-60mph along the coast. Snow is expected on some of the higher routes in the county which may make driving conditions treacherous.
Drivers are asked to take extra care on the roads tomorrow and look out for any fallen trees or debris which may already be fragile and damaged due to Storm Arwen. To report a problem on the county’s roads, please report online via the County Council website - https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/highways
People are asked to check on their neighbours and should contact www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it or call 101 if they have concerns about their own safety and well-being, or the safety and well-being of someone they know.
If your power goes off, please call Electricity North West on 105. Information on powercuts, including estimated time of restoration, is also available at: https://www.enwl.co.uk/powercuts.
Keep up-to-date with the weather at www.metoffice.gov.uk.
For latest traffic and roads information visit www.cumbria.police.uk/traffic