Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Council reveals the true scale of Arwen’s wrath
THE full scale of the damage wreaked by Storm Arwen in Dundee has been revealed by the city council.
Winds of more than 90mph battered the country in November in what was one of the worst storms in living memory.
It led to roofs coming off buildings, dozens of trees falling and even a driving range in Dundee collapsing under the pressure of the hurricane-force gusts.
The Evening Telegraph also told how a caravan was blown into Steven Aitchison’s garden in the city’s Douglas district by the fierce winds.
Now we can reveal the extent of the damage reported in the days after the storm.
But the true financial cost of dealing with the destruction is still being determined.
Information obtained by The Evening Telegraph shows that in Dundee, the council dealt with at least 52 incidents between November 26 and December 2.
The most common call-outs involved damage to buildings and structures, branches in people’s gardens or in the street, bins being blown over or away, damage to fences and broken branches hanging off trees.
When asked how much these incidents cost to deal with, Dundee City Council said in a freedom of information response: “This information is not recorded. Not yet in a position to accurately determine full costs.”
Fewer incidents were dealt with in Perth and Kinross, where the council received 13 reports about damage in the week after Storm Arwen.
These included a lightning conductor hanging off the side of a building, damaged fencing, trees being blown over, Perspex panels coming loose and damage to a roller shutter door.
It said: “At this point in time, Perth and Kinross have yet to receive any invoices as it is too early and work is still being undertaken; therefore this information is not held.
“For PPP (Public-Private Partnership) schools, totals cannot be provided as Axiom/Mitie repair the fabric of the building.
“Costs for this type of damage are covered under the Public Private Partnership Unitary Charge, and as such there is no additional cost to the council.”
Fife Council received 108 reports of damage related to Storm Arwen. The most common incidents involved the removal of storm-damaged trees, work to deal with overhanging or damaged trees and carrying out inspections on trees.
It means that in total, councils in Tayside and Fife dealt with at least 173 incidents following the storm.
The Evening Telegraph submitted a request for information to Angus Council, but it is yet to respond.
It was suggested in the wake of Storm Arwen that it could result in a UK insurance bill worth tens of millions of pounds.
Energy firms have also promised to increase compensation payments to customers in Tayside and Fife who were left without electricity for several days after the extreme weather hit.