Well, that was a fun weekend …… not!

As I write this we are 4 days in to a power cut here in North East. Some people have had to go into Newcastle and book hotels to keep warm.

It's a good idea to be prepared - candles, oil lamps + oil, woodburner, Gaz lamps, matches, logs and so on.

Years ago we had a power cut for nearly a week and no water. We ended up walking over fields to get to the nearest cleared road for a friend to pick us up. We couldn't even work out where our cars were buried in the drifts, it was the worst snow I'd ever seen. House went up for sale after that.

We were without power for 24 hours and we’re lucky to get the power back on so soon. We thought the windows were going to blow in during the night. The wind was 95 mph up at the castle. There are trees down everywhere, and most roofs have been damaged. They lost part of the roof at a local pub and people staying there were terrified. No petrol to be had in Berwick as all the garages were damaged. Full of admiration for the people working to repair the damage and restore water and electricity to everyone.

There was a report last night of an elderly lady being found alone in a cold, dark house in a remote area. She has eaten nothing since last Friday. ?

Our elected representatives have been sending out posts on social media to contact them if you need help. What don’t they understand about people having no power and phones?????. I’m so angry for those who’ve been truly abandoned.

We were extremely lucky as only had a power cut for a few hours and got the camping gas stove and head torches out. Local Tesco went into meltdown, literally , and still has empty shelves for frozen items or dairy produce.
Managed to retrieve the bins making an escape bid down the drive but luckily stopped by the car in the way , but it totally battered the garden taking flowers off all the fuchsias but weirdly leaving a single pink rose flower.
I do agree we have gone soft as I remember a time in the 1970s when we trekked through deep snow to a friend with a gas cooker carrying our Christmas food with us as roads too treacherous to drive....OK no child then and a lot younger!

No one has been deliberately abandoned.The extent of the damage has been unprecedented. It was impossible to send anyone out anywhere until Saturday afternoon and there are trees down everywhere blocking roads.

I live in North East Scotland and the storm on Thursday/ Fri/ Saturday was the worst that I have ever experienced here. Whilst I was lucky not to have lost power, my garden looks like a war zone! I own a small wooded area next to my property and lost a few trees from there, plus one rather large Spruce landed six foot from my living room window?
I also lost my greenhouse…flattened. However the dogs and I are fine so all’s well ?
I feel for the people in surrounding villages who still, since Friday have no power or water, but communities are rallying round and looking after one another with little help from the authorities.

I live in flat for elderly, we are only allowed electricity, there is no gas in the building. We are not allowed to have calorgas heaters nor woodburners, so if the electricity failed we'd be in trouble.

We had no power from 6pm Friday until yesterday morning at 10 am, not any serious damage just some branches and leaves to clear up. A friend in Stonehaven emailed this morning to say it was like something out of a movie in the square on Friday evening and they have had no power and trees down all over the town and surrounding areas. Nature is a very powerful thing.

Takes you back to the good older days whenever no centrally heating one open fire in the living room, ice on the inside of bedroom windows in winter. Hot water bottles in the bed and clothes in the bed to warm them up in the morning. Cold water for ablutions in the morning. Goodness I'm shivering just thinking about my childhood. Hope all the services have been restored and all on way back to normality without mishap.

Just listening to Radio 4 talking about the situation. My heart goes out to you all stuck with no power and without all the other things that need power to function. Hoping it all gets sorted out soon xxx

I think I must be expecting this to happen this winter. Every time I go for groceries, I buy way too much. Maybe I am subconsciously 'prepping'. Christmas 2020, I commented to my brother I wanted to get some candles (box of twelve, not the fancy ones) as I'd heard it mentioned that we would start getting power cuts. He bought me a pack with a wry smile on his face, and I've bought some more. 'Prepping' again I guess.

I know what you mean Suedonim - SSEN organised a ‘welfare truck’ with hot food/drink but all the information was on social media! I’m sure the council will be holding a ‘lessons learned’ meeting on Teams and communications are one thing I shall be raising. Ninjanana2 were you living here in late 80’s? There was an absolutely horrendous storm then with winds gusting to 120mph at St Fergus. Roof tiles were flying everywhere and neighbour’s shed ended up embedded in someone’s front door!

Grantanow

It's a good idea to be prepared - candles, oil lamps + oil, woodburner, Gaz lamps, matches, logs and so on.

We couldn’t use the wood burner: the wind was too severe. Our neighbour did and their house filled with smoke. They had to take the burning logs outside!

fiorentina51

During the 3 day week in the 70s, we put together an emergency kit of candles, matches, torches and a camping stove. All kept in a designated place. It's stood us in good stead over the years, including one year when we had a power cut on Christmas day!

We did the same thing. I worked in a chemist's shop and my boss rigged up a car headlight running off a battery, so that we could keep operating. (Luckily the till was manual!)

I'm sorry for this situation that you and many others are suffering. The Electricity Companies have taken the easy option in stringing cables across Pylons all over the country, mostly because it is cheaper than laying cables underground where they are much less likely to be affected by weather.

I lived in the south of England when the ‘non’ hurricane hit in 1987. It was a very noisy night and strange to get up to see fallen trees and other damage. It sounds as though storm Arwen caused even more disruption. My sympathies to those still without power etc.

We were without power for a week when the children were young. Spent the nights all snuggled under a duvet and the days driving around to keep warm ( I think the kids still went to school). We ate a huge tub of mint ice cream that was going to melt and to this day I can’t stomach mint ice cream! We’d just disconnected the gas fire, too. I think we had a small calor gas stove. At one point half the village got their power back on and we selfishly rejoiced when it went off again. By the end of the week it was no longer newsworthy and we thought everyone had forgotten about us!

I really feel for people with reliant on only electricity- as most people in flats cannot have gas or fires. We live in the Home Counties but semi rurally and use calor gas for our main background heating. We have had several cold days over the years, when our calor gas has run out completely in a cold snap-we have difficult access in bad weather- but have still had electricity to boil a kettle or fill a hot water bottle and we have wood burners for emergency and top up heat.
It must be really difficult for people without any power or alternative cooking facilities. Modern houses and flats are not designed for long power cuts! Perhaps they should be!

It has been bitterly cold @nd we have not had a power cut. However, the gas boiler died on Friday and we had no heating. We have an electric fire in the lounge and a gas hob. The rest of the house has no heating at all. Consequently we have bought a stand by fan heater just for such emergencies. Listening to radio 4 today I realised how unprepared we are for no power. We need a contingency plan for all neighbourhoods so that we can assess and prepare for emergencies.
Boiler now fixed . It required a new fan!

Curry’s have sold out of the more modern version of transistor radios!

After one too many boiler failures we bought two calor gas heaters. Wonderful things, fit in the cupboard under the stairs when not needed, have since had new boiler and wood burner fitted.
As I do go camping I keep a box of torches, gas hobs, small gas heaters alongside my stock of candles, I keep several things in my car too e.g. tea lights, nuts and raisins, sealed packs of biscuits, sleeping bag and blankets.
Yes, I was a Girl Guide.

My sympathies to those who have been without power. It must be (or have been) so utterly miserable.

In the 80s we had a power cut for 7 days and we’re within view of the local coal fired power station with all its lights and chimneys going!
We had one open fire ( gas ) and we boiled a kettle on that.No heat, no light apart from candles ,so I know how awful it is.
I had showers at work and had to take our daughter 15 miles to the in laws for a bath!
Food was a big problem.After that we got a gas cooker and a log burner,but Sod’s law it never happened again!