On behalf of the Council, and as Chairman of the Isles of Scilly Fire and Rescue Service, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has responded so admirably to Storm Goretti since we began receiving the initial weather warnings last week.
The prompt but considered reactions from all of the organisations on the islands to the advice from national organisations ensured that we were all kept safe throughout the storm. The swift action taken by Five Islands Academy and all employers across the islands ensured everyone was able to act upon the Council’s advice to go home and prepare for the storm ahead of the escalation to a Red weather warning and the ensuing national alert. This was undoubtedly the main reason the islands escaped the storm with only widespread environmental and property damage, rather than major casualties or loss of life.
By now, we will all have heard about the lengths the multi-agency emergency services and utilities teams went to in order to preserve and restore essential services in those initial few hours during and following the storm. I know everyone in the community is deeply thankful to be able to rely on such a skilled and considerate workforce, even in the very worst conditions.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to all of the many local businesses and contractors who immediately contributed their skills, resources, time and effort to help clear away the worst of the debris and enable the community to receive the support they needed in the earliest stage of the islands’ recovery. Your reinforcement was absolutely essential to the speed with which these initial tasks were completed, and have made it possible for life on the islands to continue as unaffected as possible whilst further repairs are made.
I have heard wonderful things about a number of hospitality venues, individuals and, of course, the Park House team, opening their doors to provide a warm space and reassurance to those in the community who lost power and water supplies. Thank you to everyone who checked in on people, helped to pass on messages to those without working communications and offered support of all kinds to their fellow community members. These actions will be remembered long after the impacts of Storm Goretti have been forgotten.
I have been amazed by the speed with which the teams from National Grid and South West Water, and the islands’ telecoms engineer, have set about restoring supplies and connections across the islands. Thank you to everyone who flew in to reinforce the local teams and provide cover following some very long and exhausting shifts, and to the travel operators who made this possible when everyone was dealing with their own connectivity and business continuity issues.
Thank you also to everyone outside of the islands who supported us in our preparations and recovery and to everyone who has sent well wishes. You can be reassured that we are still here, even if the landscape may look a little different! We wish our mainland colleagues and friends the best of luck with their own recovery operations in Cornwall and beyond.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I would like to highlight the value of the community’s measured response to the advice, outages and inconveniences of the past few days. The early acceptance of the warnings issued, patience as agencies assessed the damage and calm approach to damage reporting has ensured everyone has been able to get on with their roles as easily and efficiently as possible given the circumstances. Thank you for supporting your fellow community members as the work continues and for demonstrating how resilient and compassionate our community is in times of difficulty.
With my very best wishes
Councillor Robert Francis
Chairman of the Council of the Isles of Scilly