Agencies across Cumbria respond to impact of Storm Eowyn
Westmorland and Furness Council have issued a statement
Westmorland and Furness Council have issued a statement as they continue to tackle the impact of Storm Eowyn.
Cumbria and South West Scotland have been battered by strong winds and an amber warning from the Met Office remains in place until 9pm tonight (24th January).
"Partner agencies have been working together in response to the impact of strong winds from Storm Eowyn, providing support to any residents, communities and businesses affected by the weather.
"This has included dealing with power outages, road accidents, as well as clearing debris and fallen trees from roads.
"An Amber weather warning for strong winds for the whole of Cumbria is in place until the evening of Friday 24 January.
"A multi-agency response is in action and Cumbria Local Resilience Forum (LRF) has met to ensure any response is coordinated so communities can access any help and support they need. This has included representatives from the Met Office, Cumbria Police, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, health bodies, Electricity North-West and the two local authorities, Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council.
"Some of the early impacts include:
• Damage to the temporary canopy installed as part of the RAAC replacement on the Sands’ auditorium roof in Carlisle.
• A number of road closures due to debris. Cumberland Council was dealing with around 80 road incidents reported to them at midday with closures to the A596 between Northside roundabout and Lowca Lane in Workington, Shaddongate in Carlisle as well as Newmarket Street due to situation at the Sands Centre.
• The A66 road between Penrith and Scotch Corner is closed and the Highways teams in Westmorland and Furness Council area reported they were extremely busy responding to incidents of fallen trees and other debris on minor roads.
• Disruption to bin collections across the county, with Cumberland Council cancelling all collections on the Friday for safety reasons.
• Power outages reported across the county.
"Residents are urged to take extreme care if they do have to make any journeys due to debris on the roads – and would caution against vehicles such as HGVs using exposed roads such as the M6 due to a number of lorries having blown over today.
Karl Melville from Cumberland Council, and current chair of the multi-agency group, said:
“It’s been a very busy day for all our partner agencies and we’ve been working together to ensure we have a coordinated response to the impacts of Storm Eowyn.
“Our advice remains the same – we would ask people to prepare and follow the guidance being given in the media and on social media to minimise the ongoing impact.
“Thankfully, the winds are predicted to ease as the day progresses, but the work and clean-up will continue into the night and over the weekend. I’d therefore ask everyone to take extra care on the roads especially after nightfall, and observe any road closure signs for their own safety.”
"Some residents, particularly in the north of the county, may have received an emergency alert advising of a red weather warning. The LRF wanted to reassure people that this was not sent by the Cumbrian authorities, and related to the red Met Office weather warnings for strong winds in place in Scotland."