National Grid and Red Cross Address Power Outages After Storm Darragh

National Grid has engaged additional engineers and the Red Cross to assist residents in Devon and Cornwall who remain without electricity following Storm Darragh. Darragh, which was the fourth named storm of the season, impacted the region over the weekend, bringing winds that gusted up to 96mph (155km/h). The energy distributor reported that power had been restored to over two million customers, though “small numbers” in Devon and Cornwall were still impacted. Roisin Quinn, from National Grid, stated that efforts were underway to reconnect all customers throughout the South West by Thursday night. National Grid indicated that its teams had been operating overnight to reinstate electricity to properties that lost power due to “the worst storm our regions have seen in decades.” The company explained: “Where customers are waiting to be reconnected, it has either been too dangerous for our teams to carry out work, or there have been other obstacles, such as flooding, limiting our access to power lines.” It further stated: “Engineers from other companies which have finished Storm Darragh repairs in other parts of the country are now assisting our teams to speed up reconnections.” On Thursday, National Grid provided an update, noting that the vast majority of customers who experienced power loss as a result of the storm had been reconnected, but there were “some pockets where small numbers of customers remain without power.” The company reported: “Generators and battery packs are being supplied to vulnerable customers, we are delivering hot food and drinks in the most impacted areas, and warm hubs have been opened in partnership with local authorities. “The Red Cross is assisting our own staff in carrying out welfare checks for those without power.” It also mentioned that customers without electricity could obtain complimentary hot food and drinks until 22:00 GMT from welfare vans at designated locations. Customers were advised they could find additional support and updates online or by dialing 105. Readers can follow BBC Cornwall and BBC Devon on X, Facebook, and Instagram. Story ideas may be submitted to spotlight@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external sites. Details regarding its approach to external linking are available.