falling tree in Cambria, while the other two persons died after a falling tree struck their vehicles in Antrim and Aberdeenshire on Friday (26 Nov).
Meanwhile, thousands of people are spending a fourth night without power, while the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) continues to respond to extensive damage caused to its network by the storm. By Monday evening, power had been restored to 103,000 customers, while another 17,000 remained without. The energy provider said the storm had caused “catastrophic damage” which may take longer to repair in certain regions, where power may not be restored in before Tuesday.
Police has declared a major incident in the north east of Scotland, an area which remains worst hit by widespread disruption. According to reports, nearly 10,000 homes in Perthshire, Killin, Aboyne and Alford had been reconnected by Monday morning. In Torphins, Braemar, Ballater, Comrie and the surrounding areas, power was restored in about 7,000 properties throughout the day.
Meanwhile, SSEN advised customers whose power has not yet been restored to make alternative arrangements, if possible. Hot food and drinks were being supplied in several rest centres for people who had been dealing with prolonged power outages, with some of them being without electricity since Friday afternoon.
The Scottish government’s resilience room, chaired by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, met on Monday to discuss the catastrophe. Noting that the complexity associated with the recovery “cannot be underestimated”, Swinney urged members of the public who are in need of assistance to contact their local council.
“It is good to see that some progress is being made across the country as power is restored… While we are hopeful for a further recovery as soon as possible, the scale and complexity of the situation cannot be underestimated,” he said. “Many people are still without power and water, and that’s why local authorities and partners are stepping up welfare support in affected areas for those who need it.”
