A week on from Storm Arwen, British Red Cross volunteers continue to support thousands of people left without power across Northern England and Scotland.
The storm, described as the worst in 20 years by Red Cross teams on the east coast of Scotland, killed three people as winds of nearly 100mph battered the UK, tearing down trees, damaging buildings and leaving more than 150,000 homes without power.
Blankets of heavy snow cut off access to homes in the worst affected areas, leaving thousands of people without basic supplies and heat.
Matthew Killick, Crisis Response and Community Resilience Director with the charity, said: “It’s been an extremely challenging week. Our teams on the ground are saying this this the worst storm in 20 years.
“Many families are still having to contend with freezing temperatures with no power. Our staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly alongside local authorities, the emergency services and the voluntary sector, to keep people safe, checking on vulnerable people and distributing water, hot water, food, torches and blankets.”
Since last Friday, Red Cross volunteers have been checking in with residents in the affected areas through door-to-door and telephone welfare checks, asking if they need support and checking if they can leave their home if they need to.
Barry Hadley from Cumbria, has been volunteering with the Red Cross for eight years.
He said: “Storm Desmond was the last big’un. We did some emergency response which was door knocking, making sure people are alright, checking on welfare, checking that they had food.
“And this, with the high winds and the storm, is virtually the same. We are going around all the areas just making sure that vulnerable people are safe, that they’ve had a hot drink, if they’ve eaten, or if they’ve got any needs. So it is a rewarding job but it is a long, tiring job especially in this weather. But again, it is well worth it.”
Cathie Sanderson and her mother, also from Cumbria, were supported by Red Cross volunteers. She said: “It’s been quite hard to be honest. My husband’s in his 70s, I’m in my 60s.
“We’ve got camping gas stoves and a little open fire, so we would manage, but my mum is 89. She’s blind. She’s nearly deaf. She’s got Parkinson’s. She broke her hip in April. She’s got carers four times a day. I was having to go round to heat one room.
“She’s got one wood burner, which we don’t normally use, because obviously she can’t do it. I was going around early in the morning, making the fire up getting it blazing, getting the room warm and then boiling a kettle for breakfast on the camping gas stove. I was cooking her food here on the camping gas stove and then taking it round at lunchtime. Then taking, probably, a sandwich for tea.”
“I happened to be at mum’s when the Red Cross knocked on the door. We basically just had a chat and I just let them know who would need assistance in the future. It was quite nice to know that people were concerned.”
The charity is working alongside local authorities and the local resilience forums to identify where the need is greatest and will continue to do so for the duration of this emergency.
Volunteers and staff are providing information, food and other essentials to vulnerable people who are in need. For older people, some of whom have been without power for several days, a knock on the door and a chat with a friendly face is a really valuable point of connection.
David Taylor, emergency response officer in Cumbria with the charity, has been left humbled by the way in which communities have banded together.
He said: “In my 30 years in the Red Cross, this is by far and away the most complex operation that we’ve been involved in.
“We started our operation a week ago today when the amber warning on the East coast turned to red from our incident support room in Preston.
“In Cumbria, I’ve been watching our volunteers out on the ground working with the folks have lost their power providing practical and emotional support. It’s been humbling to watch the amount of the community response as well. That’s been extraordinary.
“It’s been heartbreaking to hear about cases of 90-year-olds on their sixth night without any hot water. If they are lucky they got a wood burning stove. We are providing blankets, gloves, hats. The hot food and drinks are extremely popular, as you would imagine.
“In reality, we can’t get to them all because the weather conditions have been appalling. We’ve had snow we’ve had ice and we’ve had to call in mountain rescue teams to help on some occasions.”
As long as people are affected by Storm Arwen, the British Red Cross will continue to work alongside local authorities and the local resilience forums to identify where the need is greatest.
If you’ve been affected by Storm Arwen you can contact the British Red Cross Support Line on 0808 196 3651.
