Storm Arwen: Army deployed to help thousands of Scottish homes facing sixth day without power after high winds

Troops have been sent to help affected households in north-east Scotland with thousands of home still without power following Storm Arwen last week
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Army troops have been deployed to help thousands of homes in Scotland as they face a sixth day without power after Storm Arwen battered the region.

Boris Johnson has confirmed that 130 troops have been sent to the Grampian region of northern Scotland, with around 3,000 homes still without electricity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The extreme weather damaged power lines which cut power off to many in the region.

At a glance: 5 key points

  • Storm Arwen battered eastern parts of the UK on Friday night, with 90mph gusts damaging buildings and killing three people 
  • As a result of the extreme weather, almost one million homes lost power
  • The majority of households have been reconnected but around 16,000 remain without power
  • Troops have now been deployed to the Grampian region of Scotland, which includes Aberdeenshire, to help 3,000 homes that have remained disconnected
  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the UK Government is “doing everything we can to help people”

Troops deployed to northern Scotland

Johnson confirmed that 130 troops had been sent to help households still affected by power outages.

They will go door-to-door to check on the welfare of residents who remain without power six days after the storm hit.

Police Scotland also confirmed that a “multi-agency” response was underway to help reconnect those in need.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chief Superintendent George Macdonald said: “The damage caused by Storm Arwen has been unprecedented and has required significant repairs to be undertaken across the power, water and communications networks.

“The Strategic Local Resilience Partnership has met almost 20 times since last Friday, in preparation for and in response to the weather. The partnership involves local authorities, health and social care partnerships, emergency services, Maritime and Coastguard Agency, NHS, Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks, Scottish Water, SEPA, Forestry and Land Scotland, British Red Cross, and other local voluntary organisations.

“Together we are all committed to providing ongoing support to those affected by the power outage.”

Troops make house-visit to check on the welfare of disconnected residents in Aberdeenshire. (Credit: Getty)Troops make house-visit to check on the welfare of disconnected residents in Aberdeenshire. (Credit: Getty)
Troops make house-visit to check on the welfare of disconnected residents in Aberdeenshire. (Credit: Getty)

‘Very challenging time’ for residents without power

Chief Superintendent Macdonald confirmed that military assistance had been drafted in to help with the multi-agency response to the situation.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: “We recognise that this has been a very challenging time for everyone who has been without power and water for a long time.

“Due to the ongoing challenges and uncertainty around when supplies will be fully restored, which has added to the complexity of the response, the partnership has deemed it proportionate and necessary to seek additional humanitarian support from the military and we are grateful for their assistance.

“The scale of damage and difficult weather conditions have added to the challenges of restoring power, however there is an absolute commitment from all agencies to do this as quickly as possible and to continue providing support as we work towards a return to normality."

Thousands remain disconnected in north-eastern England

Alongside the 3,000 homes in Scotland that are currently disconnected, a further 13,000 homes in north-east England are also without power.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Johnson said: “It was a very, very big storm. We are doing everything we can to help people.

“There were about 19,000 homes without (power) this morning. We have got that down to about 16,000.

“That is no consolation for the 16,000 who are still suffering but we are working flat out to help you.”

Shadow Environment Secretary Jim McMahon criticised the UK Government for the amount of time it has taken to reconnect every household again.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He said: ““Thousands have been left without power for days on end, especially in rural and more remote communities, yet they have been mostly abandoned by the Government.

“Half-hearted reassurance from ministers hundreds of miles away is completely useless when so many people are unable to cook, charge their phones or store vital medicines properly.

“The Conservatives need to get their act together and ensure there is resilient infrastructure across the country to stand up to the more severe storms we know are coming in the climate crisis.”

The Energy Networks Association and the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks have confirmed that it aims to reconnect all homes by the end of Friday (3 December).

A message from the editor:

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.