Army called in to help with Storm Arwen clear-up
Military personnel have been drafted in to help support people in County Durham who are still affected by power cuts following Storm Arwen.
More than 100 members of the Army have been called in to carry out welfare visits and offering support to residents following a request from County Durham and
Darlington Local Resilience Forum (LRF) for additional resources.
Last week, the LRF declared a major incident due to the number of properties affected, the length of time residents had been without power and the fact that the level of damage caused by the bad weather has meant that Northern Powergrid is unable to confirm when supplies will be restored.
The county council, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, Durham Constabulary, the Mountain Rescue Service, Northumbrian Water, NHS, Northern Powergrid and the voluntary sector have been providing a range of support.
John Hewitt, chair of the
LRF’s Strategic Co-ordinating Group, said: “We are doing everything we can to support residents who are affected by the disruption to power supplies, from providing emergency supplies to simply checking in to make sure everything is OK.
“Without a clear idea of when power will be fully restored, we have had to look at drafting in additional support and we are very grateful to the Ministry of Defence for approving our request for support.”
The servicemen and women, based in St John’s Chapel, in Weardale, will carry out door-to-door visits to check on residents and ensure that any help and support is provided where needed.