Storm Darragh: the aftermath in numbers
In common with many areas in the west of the UK last weekend, Wirral experienced storm-force winds which caused disruption to a range of events, services and communities.
Some high profile events such as the Pantomime at the Floral Pavilion and a planned Youth Market in Birkenhead had to be cancelled for the safety of residents, staff and visitors while, across the borough, emergency response teams were working to address problems caused by the storm as they were reported in.
Ahead of the storm landing, Wirral Council shared the weather warnings issued by the Met Office as well as sharing some tips as to how people might look to minimise its impact. As the Storm Darragh came in, the council put its plan to deal with the impact into action.
Over the course of the weekend, Wirral's Emergency Control Centre (ECC) was on hand to deal with calls from the public and to liaise with other teams across the council as well as partner organisations.
Across the weekend they took 201 out of hours emergency calls. 23 reports came through from colleagues in the Blue Light services such as police and fire and rescue; 21 calls for assistance came through CCTV operators; 9 calls were answered from the on-street Emergency Help Points, while 11 building alarm activations were received.
In addition to those calls, the ECC also handled 58 referrals sent through the social services’ Emergency Duty Team line, which also experienced a spike in calls last weekend; the ECC support meant that fewer calls were lost over that time as they were able to take messages and carry out an initial triage on behalf of the EDT so they could prioritise their responses.
As expected, many calls were raised for issues such as fallen trees and brick walls, flooding, fencing and street furniture which had become loose, roofing issues and fallen telegraph poles – 93 in total.
Ongoing
Tree damage caused by Storm Darragh has been substantial, with many fallen trees across highways and parks. The council and its contractors are continuing with the clean-up, however this will likely continue over the coming weeks. Priority will be given to deal with the more urgent issues first, such as trees or branches impacting the public highway.
If you see a tree along the highway that is damaged and looks at risk of falling, please call StreetScene on 0151 606 2004 (9am-5pm, Mon-Fri) or 0151 647 7810 (out of hours).
In addition to dealing with damaged trees, the council’s waste contractor, Biffa, had their weekend crews cleaning up all the tidal debris on Sunday. All street cleansing crews were then deployed yesterday to deal with any leftover storm related debris following the aftermath of the winds. All street cleansing resources were back on scheduled work from today.
At the Floral Pavilion, the show is definitely going on now after the postponements of the two shows on Saturday due to safety concerns and damage to the cladding of the roof of the theatre.
On Monday, contractors assessed and made repairs to the roof and the main front entrance is now open for people attending this year's panto The Further Adventures of Peter Pan, The Return Of Captain Hook. The Floral is fully open and all shows this week have been going ahead as planned and the Café is open daily from 9:30am.
If you had tickets for the Panto on Saturday 7 December, these are valid for future shows until 5 January 2025. Please contact the box office to reschedule your booking.
