Storm Éowyn: ‘Vital harm’ as clean-up begins throughout Scotland

Journey providers stay severely disrupted and greater than 60,000 prospects are nonetheless with out energy as Scotland recovers from Storm Éowyn.

Quite a lot of main roads are closed and most prepare providers stay suspended till not less than 12:00.

One individual was critically harm in a single car collision in Mauchline, East Ayrshire at about 07:10 on Friday, whereas one other was injured when a van was struck by a falling tree in Glasgow at about 09:00.

Police Scotland mentioned they’ve responded to virtually 1,900 weather-related incidents throughout the nation.

A pink climate warning for areas of central, southern and western Scotland expired at 17:00 on Friday however an amber wind alert remained in a single day in northern Scotland.

The storm has now largely moved away from Scotland, forsaking a path of injury and disruption.

On Saturday morning, 67,000 prospects have been nonetheless with out energy in response to the newest figures from energy suppliers.

Quite a lot of main routes and providers additionally remained closed:

• The M80 is closed each methods in Stirling between J9, the Bannockburn turning, and J8, the M876 interchange.
• The M898 is closed heading North from the M8 at J30 to J1, the Erskine delivering Renfrewshire due to a fallen tree.
• In East Ayrshire a fallen tree has blocked the A70 from Coalhall to Cumnock.
• ScotRail providers are anticipated to regularly begin operating from 12:00.
• There may be at the moment no service on Avanti West Coast between Preston and Glasgow Central, or between Preston and Edinburgh Waverley.
• The east coast line is open, however vital delays are anticipated.
• Ferry vessels and ports are being inspected for harm and providers are resuming.
• Ferry passengers ought to test for any restrictions on native entry roads earlier than setting off.

Celtic’s match towards Dundee has been referred to as off.

An announcement mentioned the stadium at Parkhead had been broken on Friday they usually had been suggested that they might not proceed with the sport.

The rearranged fixture will happen on 5 February at 19:45.

Three yellow weather warnings stay in place in Scotland:

• An ice and snow warning over a lot of the mainland from 18:00 on Saturday till 10:00 on Sunday.
• A wind warning for the far north-west coast and Western Isles from 18:00 on Saturday till 10:00 on Sunday.
• A wind warning for a part of Caithness, all of Orkney and southern Shetland till 15:00 on Saturday.

Talking on the PJDM’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Jim Dale, senior meteorologist at British Climate Providers, mentioned it was some of the vital storms of his 40 12 months profession.

“Folks will recognise this when it comes to the harm that has been completed. One grateful factor, and I will attempt to be constructive about storms, is that there’s solely sadly one demise within the Republic of Eire,” he mentioned.

“However you may think about if there had been no warnings, if individuals hadn’t heeded these warnings – pink and amber as they have been – then the casualty record would have been far, far greater.

“The storm was effectively forecasted so it wasn’t prefer it got here out of the blue like some storms accomplish that I believe individuals dealt with it fairly effectively,” he mentioned.

Mr Dale mentioned the storm is now heading in the direction of Norway, forsaking wintry circumstances over a lot of Scotland.

“There may be snow throughout a lot of the excessive floor and even a number of the decrease floor.

“So it is a case of selecting up the items actually at present and a few of these with out electrical could also be taking a bit extra time to get that one again however that is the form of normality. There may be a variety of work to be completed after the storm, not simply whereas it is happening,” he mentioned.

Scotrail mentioned 400 particular person incidents had been reported throughout the community. These embrace a number of timber on tracks, broken overhead wires, energy provide failures, different objects on the road and extra.

By 12:00 on Saturday they’d re-opened some traces, together with Perth to Inverness, Inverness to Elgin, Inverness to Aberdeen, Dundee to Aberdeen, Perth to Dundee, Edinburgh to Tweedbank and Edinburgh to Dunbar

Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of routes stay closed, An announcement mentioned “vital disruption will proceed for the remainder of at present and into Sunday.”

ScotRail buyer operations director Phil Campbell mentioned: “Our key message to prospects is earlier than setting off, please test on-line, on social media or the web site and there you will discover the freshest info.”

A gust of 100.7mph was formally recorded at Drumalbin in South Lanarkshire on Friday afternoon, whereas one other of gust of 102mph was reported on the Tay Street Bridge.

In a publish on X, previously Twitter, First Minister John Swinney requested for “endurance” whereas the work to revive providers affected by the storm was carried out.

“After the numerous affect of Storm Éowyn, work is underway to revive energy provides and transport networks,” he mentioned.

“It is going to take a while to finish and I enchantment for the endurance of the general public.

“Energy firm employees and our public servants are working at pace to revive providers”.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance instructed PJDM Scotland Information “nice warning” was nonetheless required from the general public in the course of the clear-up.

“If I can reiterate the recommendation from Police Scotland, if individuals have to journey they need to do with nice care,” she mentioned.

“There are nonetheless a lot of incidents, blockages and diversions on the transport community and naturally the much less site visitors there’s on the transport community, that aids the restoration as a result of that clears the best way for utility firms and different operators to be getting on with the restoration operation.”