17/02/2022 - Permalink

Update on Storm Eunice: be prepared and stay safe

Related topics: Climate change / environment / Community / Highways, transport and environmental maintenance / Public protection

Residents are again being asked to prepare for Storm Eunice and to make any necessary arrangements to stay safe.

Severe weather warning: Wind graphic

Severe weather warning: Wind

Storm Eunice has the potential to produce some extremely difficult conditions and will bring some heavy rain for a time on Thursday night (17 February 2022). This will be followed by strong winds during Friday (18 February) where wind speeds will be gusting in many places to 50-60mph at times, and possibly reaching up to 70mph.

The weekend will see further strong winds, but possibly not as severe as Storm Eunice, with potential blizzards hitting the county.

Please consider if you really need to travel, particularly during Friday when winds are expected to be strongest. and work from home if you are able to do so.

Make sure you’re prepared by:-

  • Keeping an eye on weather forecasts and Met Office warnings
  • Charge a battery bank to keep phones and other devices fully charged in case you lose power
  • Place cars in garages or where they will be protected from flying debris, such as tiles or branches
  • Secure items outside your home that could be blown away, such as patio furniture, trampolines, bins etc
  • Make sure you have batteries and torches at hand
  • Prepare blankets and warm clothing
  • Keep pets indoors
  • Consider if you really need to go outside or travel unless it is absolutely essential until the storm’s peak has passed.

Get the latest updates:

Report a fallen tree

Shropshire Council has put additional resources on standby to help deal with the expected effects of the storm. However, due to the expected strength of the winds, it may not be safe for teams to respond to all incidents immediately. Equally, we will need to prioritise our responses. Please only report issues to Shropshire Council if it is an emergency and requires an immediate response.

These issues would include damage to buildings, trees falling across the highway, and flooding to property. Shropshire Council will respond to calls on a priority basis, and it is likely that any clean-up will continue over the weekend.

In an emergency, report these issues to Shropshire Council on 0345 678 9006.

If an incident requires the emergency services or if there is a risk to life please dial 999.

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for physical infrastructure, said:-

“We know that Storm Eunice has the potential to have significant impacts across the county and may result in trees coming down, damage to properties and temporary loss of power if powerlines are affected. 

“So please do ensure you take every precaution to stay safe. 

“Shropshire Council has put additional resources on standby to help deal with the expected effects of the storm. However, due to the expected strength of the winds it may not be safe for teams to respond to all incidents immediately. Equally we will need to prioritise our responses. Please only report issues to us if it is an emergency and requires an immediate response.”

 Tips on how you can prepare in case of a power cut from Western Power

 Here are some useful tips from Western Power which you may find helpful to help you prepare for Storm Eunice. If you do not use Western Power, please refer to your own energy providers website:

  • Keep your energy provider telephone number handy or save it in your mobile phone (105 or 0800 6783 105) so that you can report a power cut or call for information and advice.
  • Keep a battery/solar charger handy so that you can recharge your smart phone or tablet and follow updates on social media via this online power cut map or Power Cut Reporter app.
  • Keep your freezer shut – depending on the type of freezer you have, the contents could stay frozen for up to 12 hours.
  • Check that you have a phone available that will work in a power cut – digital or cordless ones may not work.
  • Have things like a torch or lantern ready (it is best not to use candles or paraffin lights).
  • Protect sensitive electrical equipment such as computers with a surge protector plug.
  • If you have a mains operated stair lift, check to see if there is a manual release handle that can be used to return it safely to ground level if it stops working.

Further advice and information