Severe weather update

Strategic and local emergency planning meetings have continued today (Sunday) to address local impacts of the severe weather.

Across the Highland Council area, the situation has continued to improve, and more homes were reconnected to power by last night than was originally anticipated. 

So far SSE has restored around 100,000 customers across the country since the beginning of the storm. 

Sizeable numbers remain without power this afternoon, and the latest update from SSE regarding tonight indicates that nearly all customers will be reconnected by midnight tonight or earlier. Latest SSE updates can be found here: http://news.ssepd.co.uk/storms/north-of-scotland-wc-5-jan-14/

These are the customers currently off supply in the Highland area as at 16:30hrs:

• Rural areas around Dingwall -1457 customers           
• Rural areas around Fort William - 45 customers             
• Inverness-shire - 1798 customers         
• Shetland - 102 customers           
• Skye - 315 customers           
• Rural areas around Wick - 1858 customers         

SSE have indicated that approximately 44 of these customers will not be reconnected until tomorrow. SSE have agreed to update us as to which properties will remain without power tonight and local ELGs will agree local action to provide support as required in conjunction with SSE & Red Cross.

Staff in all of the agencies worked with the Red Cross and volunteers yesterday and last night and again today, to open reception centres and operate catering facilities in many of our communities.  Many Council staff have worked throughout the weekend to support these facilities, and to deal with the impact of the weather.  It is a developing picture today, but the full list below represents the situation at 12:00hrs.

• Dunvegan, Isle of Skye – Village Car Park
• Arisaig – catering unit
• Dervaig – Local hotels
• Fort William – Local hotels
• Brora - Sutherland Inn and Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance.
• Dornoch (including Edderton, Embo, Rogart, Clashmore) –Tall Pines (until 2pm), Castaway Chip Shop and Dornoch Inn. Dornoch Academy offering a warm place to go. Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance.
• Golspie – The Trawler Takeaway  and Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance.
• Thurso (Mount Pleasant)/Halkirk/Hastigrow - Thurso High School Catering unit and school opened to provide warm place to go. Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers and providing hot food/drinks and additional assistance.
• Lairg - Lairg Hotel. Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance.
• Wick Depot
• Dundonnell - Dundonnell Hotel car park (from 1pm)
• Lethaen- Mr Tan Chinese Takeaway, Nairn (providing and delivering food)
• Muir of Ord/Marybank/Strathconon -– Finnie’s Chip Shop, Muir of Ord
• Beauly/Kiltarlity - Beauly Square. Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance.
• Fortrose/Munlochy/Avoch/Cromarty / -  McGinty's Chip Shop, High Street providing hot food and drinks and Fortrose Library providing a warm place to go and hot drinks.
• Drumnadrochit - Drumnadrochit Tourist Information - Catering Unit

Also Highlife Highland have opened all swimming pools to those affected to enable them to have hot showers.

Bottled gas supplies and heaters are running low across the north of Scotland, and Police Scotland and Red Cross are working with the Scottish Government regarding emergency supplies.

The Council continues to put out frequent media releases and updates by social media and to local radio, but it has been difficult to get radio stations to broadcast these during the weekend.

A small number of schools have structural damage, and we know that Mallaig, Brora and Cannisbay Primary Schools will not open tomorrow.  Headteachers will confirm any other closures as usual.

The Met Office indicate there will be some continuing high winds tonight, up to 50-70 mph.  Conditions will improve for a few days, but then deteriorate again from around Thursday.  There is some risk of flooding on Speyside, but properties are not threatened.

There will be another strategic meeting at 12.00 tomorrow, when we expect to confirm that the Highland Council will assume leadership responsibility for the recovery phase of this incident.

The Leadership team would like to commend all staff who have been working tirelessly all weekend to manage the incident and maintain services.