Storm Floris swept across the UK this week, bringing gusts of wind that reached up to 124mph in some regions. In response, the Met Office issued Amber and Yellow weather warnings for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Northern England.
Nationally, the storm led to, power outages affecting over 32,000 households; disruption across rail, road, and ferry services; closure of bridges and train lines and for the first time in seventy five years, the cancellation of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
In Stonehaven, the storm’s impact was thankfully limited. While fallen trees, minor flooding and short-term power interruptions were reported across the town one area affected by an extended power outage was Woodcot, the swift response from the Stonehaven and District Community Council helped ensure residents were supported. Emergency power packs were distributed to some of the affected homes, delivering just enough electricity to keep essential devices running—and, crucially, to power the kettle and toaster and of course the phones!!
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) restored power as quickly as possible, and the emergency packs were soon returned to storage, ready for future use—though with any luck, they’ll remain tucked away for a good long while.
Help Us Build a More Resilient Stonehaven
The Stonehaven and District Community Council is regularly looking to welcome new members, and one area we’re particularly keen to seek support in is Community Resilience.
If you have experience or knowledge in emergency planning, major event or disaster management, or you simply have a strong sense of civic duty and feel you can fill this particular need, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Your involvement could help us continue making sure Stonehaven is ready to weather any storm with great resilience planning and of course, — with tea brewing and toast toasting.
To learn more or express interest, please contact the Community Council through our website using the following link. Stonehaven & District Community Council | Contact Us or, come along and chat with your local Council—it’s a great chance to learn about the meaningful work they do for our community. You’ll likely find it more fascinating than you expected.