Evelyn Tweed MSP has welcomed a new programme of preparedness to test Scotland’s response to and recovery from severe weather ahead of the next winter period, which will be run over the summer.
The Winter Preparedness Programme will be led by the Scottish Resilience Partnership (SRP) and is one of a series of measures following Storm Arwen to ensure Scotland is better prepared for significant weather events.
Storm Arwen was considered one of the worst recent storms in this country, with winds in parts of Stirling reaching 96 miles per hour. It was estimated that 16 million trees were lost or damaged across Scotland, while Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) estimated 135,000 homes lost power with some in rural Stirling only reconnected after 7 days.
Evelyn Tweed MSP for Stirling said; “This is good news for the people of Stirling, I’m pleased to see Storm Resilience is being prioritised by the SNP Scottish Government.
“I am also pleased to hear Deputy First Minister John Swinney is listening to what was discussed in the debate I led in February about the response to Storm Arwen – which left thousands of people without heating, power or communication for many days.
“The storm uncovered huge gaps in our country’s ability to deal with severe weather events, with my office’s survey at the time showing 32% of Stirling’s residents didn’t feel their household was prepared for a storm. We can and must do much better than this.
“I look forward to meeting with to meeting with SSEN over the Summer to discuss their preparations for this coming winter, and I am hopeful that the rollout of the Winter Preparedness Programme will result in Scotland’s homes and residents moving into the winter period in a much stronger position against future storms.”
Other measures resulting from the review include:
• A new online learning and training hub to help individuals, community groups and the voluntary sector to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies
• The development of a new process to monitor and evaluate Scotland’s resilience system annually to ensure issues are identified and resolved quickly and effectively out with severe weather events
• An information-sharing system to identify and provide swift support for vulnerable people in an area affected by severe weather
• Increased integration and engagement with voluntary sector, and expansion of local directories of assets and capabilities to support resilience activity