Army finally on hand to help with basic supplies
ARMY troops assisted rural communities in Northumberland at the weekend following the devastation caused by Storm Arwen.
A major disaster was declared in the area on Friday and military personnel were drafted in to assist.
Up to 80 troops from 4 Royal Artillery based at Alanbrooke Barracks, in Topcliffe, spent Saturday conducting welfare checks and dishing out vital supplies, including logs, candles and batteries.
They visited a number of areas including around Rothbury, Kielder, Whittingham and Longhorsley.
Steven Bridgett, an independent councillor for Rothbury, was helping to co-ordinate the effort and said 160 properties in the area he represents remain without power.
He said around 20 people had taken up offers of accommodation in the town while engineers at Northern Powergrid work to restore their electricity.
“I have been trying to get the Army here since Monday,” Coun Bridgett said.
“The major incident should have been declared then.
“Now that it has been called, we’re going to put it to good use. The Army help and support is very much appreciated and we want to say thank you to them.
“We’re pretty resilient and we’ve had our fair share of disasters over the years, so we’re not adverse to difficult situations, but, even the toughest folk, who are in their eighth and ninth days without power, are now starting to struggle.
“The Army will be doing welfare checks on those residents and distributing resources.”
In the Jubilee Hall, in Rothbury, which has become a hub for people to collect supplies such as candles, logs, kindling and batteries, hot food and drinks were available and were dished out by volunteers and workers from Northumberland County Council.
Northumberland Fire and Rescue, Northumbria Police, Army troops and the council used the building as a focal point to organise who would be visiting what houses in the surrounding area during the day. Hot soup and teas and coffees were also taken to more vulnerable residents, who couldn’t get to the hall themselves.
Coun Bridgett said the local community had pulled together, with local pubs The Queen’s Head and Newcastle Hotel offering showers and accommodation.
A generator was also sourced for Whittingham Village Hall, where a team of volunteers offered hot food, drinks and supplies to local residents.
Coun Bridgett added: “The homes that remain without power are the most difficult to reach because they are so remote and there’s only one line of power feeding them and a transformer has blown.”