Over the weekend agencies from across Cumbria have well worked together to handle the severe weather brought to our County by Storm Isha.

On Sunday, Cumbria declared itself on standby for a major incident following an amber weather warning coming into effect for the entire county and the impacts of this storm are still being felt with high winds still being felt across the county today.

As such, partners are still working together to support any residents, communities and businesses affected by the weather including dealing with power outages, damage to our roads, fallen trees and flood warnings.

The public are still being asked to follow the advice being shared across social media and in the media to keep themselves, their families and their communities safe.

Storm Isha has led to:

• Winds of over 80mph at Shap – with many areas in Cumbria getting winds of 70 mph
• Road and rail disruption
• Power outages
• Disruption to roads and closures of some routes

Chief Superintendent Carl Patrick, of Cumbria Constabulary, is chairing the Local Resilience Forum response.

He said:

“This storm has had a significant impact on Cumbria, with numerous reports of highway disruption, people without power and issues with flooding. While the amber alert has passed and we appear to be through the worst, our multi-agency status of being on standby for a major incident remains.

The public can be reassured that our multi-agency response has been running for several days in preparation for this and all agencies continue to work together to protect our communities. But people should be aware a further yellow warning of wind is in place for tomorrow afternoon, running on into Wednesday afternoon.

While this is not as serious as the warning issued yesterday we remain concerned about this coming so soon after the previous alert, with recovery work still underway and issues such as trees already weakened.

Our advice remains the same over the next few days – we would ask people to prepare and follow the guidance being given in the media and on social media to minimise the ongoing impact.

Please make yourselves aware of the key contacts and ensure any vulnerable people within our communities are also aware and prepared.

We would ask people to check on any vulnerable friends, family and neighbours following last night’s events and over the coming days to make sure they are safe and well, or if they need any assistance.”

Storm Isha is now moving on but attention is now shifting to the next weather system coming in. At the moment another storm is due on Wednesday (24 Jan). Named Storm Jocelyn, this  will be the 10^th named storm in the 2023/24 season.

As such Residents are still being asked to:

• Secure any loose items around your home and garden, such as rubbish bins, trampolines, plant pots and garden furniture, to minimise the risk of floating debris and damage.
• Speak to vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours – advise them and ensure they are prepared in case of power outages.
• Stay away from the fells well in advance of the affected times to keep you and mountain rescue volunteers safe.
• Do not drive through flood water if coming across flooding – take an alternative route.
• Check your torch batteries, radio and try to ensure phones are charged up in advance of the affected times.
• Park vehicles in a garage if available – otherwise keep them clear of buildings, trees, walls and fences if possible.
• Be aware of the latest weather warnings and avoid planning travel during this time if possible.
• If you must travel during this time do so with caution – pack your car with essentials, plan your route and listen to travel updates.
• Do not touch any telephone or electrical cables that may have blown down.

To report any issues – or if you need help for yourself or someone vulnerable – please see the following agencies’ updates and contact details.

For the latest information and updates please follow:

• Cumbria police on twitter/X @CumbriaPolice or on Facebook here
• Cumberland Council Twitter/x at @CumberlandCoun and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CumberlandCouncil1
• Westmorland and Furness Highways Twitter/X at:https://twitter.com/WandFHighways and Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/WestmorlandFurnessCouncil/

ADDITIONAL SPECIFIC AGENCY UPDATES

Highways

Highways teams from both Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council worked through the night to respond to calls of fallen trees, debris, flooding and other road related issues. Up to date information on road closures is being shared via social media

Schools

Only a small number of schools have not opened today and this is mainly due to loss of power in certain areas. The latest school closures information is available via the Council’s websites or direct from your school.

Waste and recycling services

Following the weekend’s storms a number of roads have been affected by flooding and fallen trees. Highways teams have worked hard all weekend to keep most major roads open, however teams are still dealing with issues on many minor roads and expect more reports to come in today. Therefore residents are warned this may well cause disruption to our scheduled waste and recycling collections for the next couple of days. Both councils will work hard to try and minimise any impact and disruption.

Electricity North West

As you will be aware, the storm brought horrendous overnight conditions with wind speeds of 80mph recorded and fallen trees, branches and debris have caused widespread damage across the North West.  We have seen impact across the region, predominantly in Lancashire and Cumbria. Our smart network has been able to restore power to more than 36,000 properties and our teams are now working to restore the remaining 8,500 properties.

This morning hundreds of colleagues have been assessing damage on the network and where conditions allow, we’ll start to climb and carry out permanent repairs. We are asking customers to please let us know if they see any damage to the network, by calling us on 105. With strong winds still affecting some parts of the region, our focus is to keep our customers safe and to gain an accurate picture of the extent of the damage to the network so that we’re able to carry out repairs as quickly and as efficiently as possible once it is safe to do so.

We’re working with local resilience forums and with local catering outlets to help provide food to those most impacted and we continue to update this on our dedicated Storm Isha webpage.

Please share the details of the current catering outlets with your networks for affected customers:

• Food van – Plumbland Village Hall School Lane, Wigton CA7 2DQ.
• White Hart Pub – Wear Bridge, Bouth, Ulverston, LA12 8JB.
• Superior Catering – Kirby Thore Parish Memorial Hall Kirby Thore CA10 1XN.

Key messages to customers:

1. If you have lost power, check for updates at www.enwl.co.uk/powercuts, or call for free on 105
2. If you see damaged equipment stay well clear as it may still be live, and call Electricity North West immediately on 105 who will make it safe. If there is danger to life, call 999.
3. If you have medical needs or need additional support in a power cut, join Electricity North West’s free extra care register. Go to www.enwl.co.uk/extracare or call 105.

Water

For water supply issues contact United Utilities on 0345 672 3723

– Problems with the roads in Cumberland can be reported to Cumberland Council via the council’s website www.cumberland.gov.uk or, in an emergency, on the Highways Hotline on 0300 373 3736. 

– For Westmorland and Furness, report highways emergencies that require immediate attention such as a fallen tree or flooding to the authority’s Highways Hotline on 0300 373 3306. For less serious issues, complete the highways online reporting form found at westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk.

– Keep up-to-date with the weather at www.metoffice.gov.uk

– For latest traffic and roads information visit: Traffic – Cumbria Constabulary

– Contact www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it  or call 101 if you have concerns about your own safety and wellbeing, or the safety and wellbeing of someone you know. If there is an immediate risk to life call 999.

Environment Agency

Jim Ratcliffe Area Duty Manager for the Environment Agency said:

“Whilst we are seeing an improving picture for the rain forecast today, we are expecting further rain tomorrow which could bring a risk of flooding across Cumbria.

“Environment Agency teams continue to be out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support those communities affected. We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.

“We encourage members of the public to check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgencyNW on Twitter for the latest flood updates.”‎

Trading standards

BE WARY OF ROGUE TRADERS OFFERING TO REPAIR STORM ISHA DAMAGE

We would like to remind residents looking to have Storm Isha damage repaired not to accept work from cold callers on the doorstep.

Sadly, major weather events can cause an uprise in rogue traders looking for opportunities to make extra money.

Our advice is to always:

– Get a quote in writing

– Check reviews / word of mouth

– Say “No” to cold callers

Report cold callers to us on 0808 223 1133

Primary Care in North Cumbria

Currently there is only one surgery without power (Appleby) and they have advised their patients directly. The pharmacy at Silloth is unable to dispense medication as they do not have a pharmacist because of the adverse weather, they have already advised patients of their nearest alternative pharmacies.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust

Community nursing and therapy teams are working with partners to make sure that we reach patients who need to be seen.  We’re having difficulties accessing some areas due to the weather but we are maintaining all essential visits with the support of partners including the fire service and Cumbria 4×4.

If you have not received a scheduled visit and are concerned then please contact us on 01946 853333 then select the option for your area. Please do attend any NHS appointments that you have, where it is safe to do so, and if you are not able to attend please call the service to reschedule.

NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated board

A spokesperson for the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said:

“We are aware that some GP practices across North Cumbria have been affected by power and phone line outages. We are working with partners to ensure all primary care services are fully back up and running as soon as possible, however, people should expect there to be some disruption and delays.

“If you do need medical care and it’s not life-threatening, visit NHS 111 online first or phone 111. Only phone 999 for an ambulance or attend A&E for life-threatening conditions or injuries only.”