Resilience Planning Refresh Urgently Needed
Evelyn Tweed MSP has hailed the community spirit demonstrated in the wake of Storm Arwen, as its devastating impact on critical infrastructure and residents becomes clear. Neighbours and residents banded together to provide mutual aid, warmth and supplies as power supply was interrupted and temperatures plummeted.
Many settlements in Stirling’s rural communities, and in parts of Scotland, were left without power since Friday evening following devastating storm damage to power lines and key utilities.
Ms Tweed has highlighted the urgent need to review resilience planning and disaster response measures in Stirling in the wake of the crisis, particularly as we enter a period of typically poor winter weather.
Evelyn Tweed MSP said:
‘Storm Arwen has wreaked havoc on communities across Scotland, and indeed across rural Stirling. Damage to utilities has been severe, and some areas have been without power for days on end. I highly commend the community spirit shown throughout this crisis, as neighbours have looked after one another and checked on vulnerable residents. The solidarity developed from the early days of the pandemic has found a new lease of life, as communities work together to share hot food, blankets and supplies whilst repairs are undertaken.
‘I welcome the response from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Stirling Council, as the storm damage to the electrical network has been catastrophic – magnitudes worse than the 2018 Beast from the East. By Sunday evening welfare facilities had been established by Stirling Council, as SSEN worked around the clock to get the lights back on.
‘However, once this crisis has passed, serious questions need to be answered as to the resilience planning from both organisations. In some cases, settlements were left in the dark, literally and figuratively, for days as communication lines and response coordination broke down.
‘Further planning and resources need to be dedicated to developing Stirling’s community resilience capacity, as the limits of online social media messaging was made evident as online access became restricted. Household preparedness and helping one’s immediate neighbours must be the foundation of our community response to disaster – and residents should be able to trust and have faith in their local government and power companies to assist in their time of need.’
Notes:
Customers seeking compensation for hotel bills etc can email receipts to: networks.executivecomplaints@ssen.co.uk
