Storm Darragh Causes Flooding and Widespread Power Outages

Following Storm Darragh, which resulted in over 25 homes being inundated and hundreds experiencing power loss, a clean-up effort has commenced in North Yorkshire. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue identified the vicinity of Kirkbymoorside as the most severely impacted region, with the Red Cross facilitating the relocation of a “large number of residents” to temporary local shelters. Between 19:00 and 03:00 GMT, fire personnel from Malton, Acomb, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Danby, Ripon, and Selby were dispatched, equipped with rescue apparatus, a vessel, and a high-capacity pump. Sylvia Fisher, a resident of Kirkby Mills, reported minimal sleep due to her continuous monitoring for flood damage throughout the night. She stated: “It came so quick I could not believe it, from 11 o’clock when we went to bed and every half hour after that, I was checking to see if it was coming through the front door, and I did that until 4 o’clock in the morning.” “It’s a nightmare, it is just so upsetting.” Mrs. Fisher, assisted by family members in the clean-up, further commented: “The carpets are ruined, the lino in the kitchen has got to come up. “I am waiting to see if water damage has done anything to my furniture. I will leave it to the insurance to see what to do.” On Sunday at 06:00 GMT, inhabitants of Nunnington, who had spent the night extracting water, received assistance from North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue subsequent to the malfunction of their pump. By Sunday morning in Pickering, river levels were observed to be increasing, and councillor Joy Andrews informed Radio York that sandbags were being deployed throughout the town. She remarked: “We’re still very worried. There are certain areas that haven’t necessarily flooded before that are flooding, but just roads so far.” The Environment Agency issued a flood warning at 08:00 GMT, specifically for properties situated along Pickering Beck. On Sunday at 10:30 GMT, the river levels at Pickering Beck measured 4ft 7in (1.44m); potential property flooding occurs when levels exceed 4ft 6in (1.40m). The peak level documented at Pickering Beck occurred during the June 2007 floods, reaching 6ft 5in (1.98m). At that time, 85 properties were impacted, resulting in approximately £7m in damages. The river level at the Pickering Flood Alleviation Scheme registered 15ft 5in (4.72m) on Sunday morning. The highest measurement at this particular station, recorded in October 2023, was 11ft 5in (3.53m). Nevertheless, the Pickering scheme was implemented following the 2007 floods. Northern Powergrid reported that hundreds of residences remained without electricity on Sunday evening. A statement published on its website indicated diligent efforts to reinstate power for all customers affected by the storm. The company stated: “We are aiming to give our best view and timings for getting people back on today, but there is a possibility that some of those repairs will run later into the night.” It added: “For those customers where we estimate your power will be back on at 22:00 on Monday 9th December, we are aiming to have power restored before then, however, we will update when have a more accurate time and will contact customers directly.” Firefighters in Marton rescued an elderly couple who had driven into floodwater, while in Danby, a crew recovered a driver whose vehicle had stalled, leaving them isolated between two bodies of water. North Yorkshire Police advised motorists against attempting to traverse floodwater and cautioned about fallen trees and debris impeding roadways throughout the region. Authorities indicated they had received 160 reports concerning highway disruptions and flooding, and were addressing approximately 15 to 20 reports of fallen trees and obstructed routes. Strong winds in Scarborough resulted in property damage, prompting fire crews to respond to a bungalow struck by a fallen tree; no injuries were reported. The electricity outages primarily impacted the North York Moors National Park, with the village of Hutton-le-Hole specifically reported to be without power. The proprietors of Homestead Kitchen, a restaurant in Goathland, announced via social media that they lacked both electricity and water, noting that the problem was impacting the “entire village”. Firefighters responded to two separate incidents where the gable ends of residential properties collapsed in Leyburn and Newby. In York, a house had its roof torn off, and in Middleton, a tree fell onto a van; however, no injuries were documented. Yellow wind warnings were active throughout Yorkshire until 18:00 BST, alongside flood warnings for Pickering Beck, Buttercrambe Mill, Kexby Bridge, the River Esk at Ruswarp, and the River Foss in York. The National Trust reported that scheduled meetings with Father Christmas at Nunnington Hall were cancelled because the car park was “completely flooded”. Additionally, the Santa Service at North Yorkshire Moors Railway was called off on Sunday, attributed to inundated car parks and limited access into Pickering. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.