Partner agencies in Cumbria have thanked communities for their support and help while they worked together to deal with the impacts of storms Jocelyn and Isha in the past few days.
Agencies from across Cumbria co-ordinated efforts to support residents, communities and businesses affected by the weather, especially the most vulnerable.
Storm Jocelyn, which hit yesterday evening and overnight, brought more significant rainfall on top of already sodden ground following Storm Isha at the weekend, with several flood alerts and warnings issued and wind gusts of up to 77mph being recorded in the county, bringing down trees and affecting power supplies.
Highways teams are still busy with the clear-up operations on the county’s road network, removing fallen trees and clearing flood debris, and extra resources are continuing to be deployed to this work by both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness councils.
Chief Superintendent Carl Patrick, of Cumbria Constabulary, has been chairing the multi-agency Local Resilience Forum response to the weather events of recent days.
He said: “The worst of the weather appears to be receding – but we would continue to ask people to check on vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours to ensure they are OK following what has been several days of extreme weather.
“There are still some people without power. The multi-agency response to make sure they are safe and well and that their power is restored as soon as possible continues and agencies have continued to make calls and knock on doors to ensure the wellbeing of those affected.
“There are still some difficult road conditions, especially on minor roads, with reports of surface water and fallen trees.
“Our local authority highways teams have worked to respond to urgent calls on flooding, debris in road and fallen trees – as well as clear road closures on priority A and B routes to keep the network moving.
“We yesterday asked people not to travel unless necessary during the storm – and the initial information we have is the roads appeared to be quieter than usual.
“We’d like to thank people for listening to the advice and doing their bit to keep the roads as safe as possible.
“We’d also like to thank all those who have worked through these storms to minimise the effects and keep people safe.”
Residents are still being asked to:
- Speak to vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours and advise them who to contact, especially if they have suffered a power outage
- Do not drive through flood water if coming across flooding on the roads – take an alternative route
- Be aware that some roads, particularly minor roads, may be affected by fallen trees, standing water or debris
- Continue to be aware of the latest weather warnings
- Do not touch any telephone or electrical cables that may have blown down