Councillor Warns of Fatalities Due to Storm Power Outages

A councillor has stated that individuals “are going to freeze to death” because of insufficient heating after multiple days without electricity in the aftermath of Storm Darragh. Iwan Ward, who serves as a councillor for Boncath and Clydau in Pembrokeshire, reported that inhabitants had experienced power loss since 02:00 GMT on Saturday and cautioned that restoration was not anticipated until 22:00 on Thursday. Thousands of individuals remain without electricity three days subsequent to the storm’s impact. The National Grid described the event as “the biggest storm our region has faced in decades”. Ward asserted that fatalities would occur “not directly because of the storm, because of the lack of electricity, the lack of heat and then lack of food”. He further stated, “We need priorities for hospitals, schools anything like that but we’ve also got people out in the countryside who are freezing to death, I’m sad to say.” He reiterated, “People are going to freeze to death, it saddens me to say it but I fear it’s going to happen and we need things in place.” Elin Jones, the Senedd presiding officer, characterized the extent of the power outage as “serious and silent” in an update posted on her Facebook page. National Grid indicated that just under 10,000 homes in south and west Wales lacked power at 21:30 on Tuesday, while Scottish Power reported 1,036 remaining outages in mid and north Wales. Steven Joseph, the Operations Director at National Grid, noted that damage continued to occur in certain areas despite Storm Darragh having moved on. He explained, “Some of the trees that didn’t fall over the weekend are now starting to fall, so as we’re fixing sections we’re finding new faults.” Openreach reported that approximately 6,500 customers throughout Wales experienced disruptions to their internet service due to Storm Darragh, with 40 telegraph poles and 50 overhead cables collapsing in the strong winds. Residents in Heol y Glyn, situated near Cymmer, Neath Port Talbot, stated they had been without electricity since Friday. Charlie Price, 67, described the circumstances as “terrible” and mentioned he had disposed of his “ruined” Christmas food at the dump. He commented, “I’m a pensioner, I can’t afford to lose that.” He added, “National Grid should have fixed this by now. Or they could have put a generator up here. It’s disgusting, I’m furious.” Carl Glave, his next-door neighbour, noted that nearby villages retained power, but he personally had “absolutely nothing”. He elaborated, “I’m only just coping because I’ve got a log burner in one room but the rest of the house is freezing.” Concurrently, sisters Nina and Terri Camplin expressed being “distraught” yet were endeavoring to assist their neighbours. They remarked, “It’s freezing but we miss the light because that goes by 16:00 and candles don’t give that much light.” They further explained, “We’re eating cold food as well because we don’t have gas and we’ve lost all the food in our fridge and our freezer.” They concluded, “It’s like being back in the war.” A leisure centre located in Llandysul, Ceredigion, has made its facilities available since Monday morning. Calon Tysul announced via social media that individuals could shower, charge their mobile phones, and obtain warm beverages. Martin Spencer from the leisure centre indicated that approximately 25 people had utilized these services. Spencer commented, “The smaller communities have been really affected by the weather. I only got power back at 03:00 this morning so we didn’t have any for three days.” He confirmed that the services would be provided until the week’s end. He added, “We were lucky that we didn’t have any storm damage, so we stayed open not just for our members but also as a safe haven for anyone.” Alun Jones, 82, residing in the nearby area of Henllan, has experienced a power outage since Saturday. He described being without electricity as “not very nice” and “quite difficult”. He depends on torches for illumination during the evening hours, further mentioning that he retires early. Mr. Jones reported that no representative from any authority had visited him since his power supply ceased. Gareth Lloyd, a councillor representing Llandysilio and Llangrannog in Ceredigion, stated that certain areas were initially informed power would be restored by 22:00 on Tuesday, only for this timeframe to be subsequently postponed to Wednesday or Thursday. He informed BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that the council had established centers offering food, beverages, and warmth to the public. Power companies were preparing to release a list of individuals from their vulnerable register whom they had not yet managed to contact. Lloyd further stated, “Local councillors will be informed so we can contact them to make sure they’re alright.” He highlighted that numerous businesses were also impacted. He remarked, “It can go from being a nuisance to affecting your livelihood and your health as well.” Roisin Quinn of National Grid affirmed that its engineers and support teams had been “working around the clock to maintain power across the network”. She expressed gratitude to customers for their patience, adding that the team was “doing everything we can to get power restored across the region as soon as possible”. EDF Renewables UK reported that the Porth Wen Solar Farm in Anglesey also sustained damage during the storm, with repair efforts and the substitution of compromised panels projected to extend into early next year. The company stated, “We are currently assessing the extent of the damage and conducting a controlled clean up.” It added, “Once the initial recovery efforts are complete and the damage is fully assessed, we will carry out a full investigation and when safe to do so, resume generation.”