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It was an unusual start to half term for thousands of families who were left without power during and after Storm Boelo. Many communities across Cumbria resorted to camping stoves and candlelit dinners as high winds battered the county at the weekend, while food vans provided free meals to those worst hit. Katherine Ord and her four-year-old daughter Eden, from Scotby near Carlisle, lost power on Saturday afternoon and slept with two duvets each to keep warm.
She said: "It's not ideal, but storms can't be helped, we do appreciate that. We're trying to keep a brave face." SP Electricity North West (ENW) told her power was expected to be back by Tuesday evening in the "worst-case scenario". Ord said: "It's quite a long time, it's four days without any form of electricity.
The novelty does seem to wear off a bit. "The weather [on Sunday] was still really stormy and so we do appreciate that people are probably trying their best under the conditions and they can't be blamed, it still doesn't make it any easier at the time." Her local supermarket cafe offered £1 meals for children, while neighbours who still had power helped with charging devices. SP ENW said it struggled to reconnect customers on Sunday due to high winds which made it unsafe for staff to climb poles safely.
The company set up a welfare hub near Penrith and two in Wigton in the north of the county, as well as four more in south Cumbria. Paul Killilea said the hubs were set up "on a case by case basis" in facilities such as cafes and pubs, but SP ENW also used mobile food vans. One such van was at Bowscar, near Penrith, on Monday, where Seb Flint relied on it for warm food and drinks after his power went off early on Saturday.
He said trying to carry on with day-to-day tasks, such as working from home and accessing hot water, had been the biggest challenge. "We're lucky we've got a little log burner so keeping the house warm's been all right. But obviously the worry about stuff in the freezer and when's [the electricity] going come back on." Ewan Adair, who runs the Primal Feast van which provided meals to affected people, said: "SP ENW have door knockers, so they come to me in their vans, collect hot foods and they run them out to the people that can't make it over here." Killilea said: "We've also proactively called more than 7,500 customers to offer tailored support and communication and are sending teams of door knockers out to those we have been unable to contact by phone or who need additional support." Follow BBC Cumbria on X , external , Facebook , external , Nextdoor and Instagram , external and listen to Radio Cumbria on BBC Sounds.
Source: BBC
