UK Military deployed in Scotland to aid Storm Arwen response
Following an urgent request for assistance, the military has been deployed to the Grampian region of Scotland to support the response to Storm Arwen.
Above:
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack.
Courtesy Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland / gov.uk
A total of 134 personnel from across the services were being deployed to the Grampian region in Scotland today to check on vulnerable people in their homes and to conduct door-to-door checks on over 4,000 homes.
The military will also provide welfare and humanitarian support for remote communities and are on standby to deliver further support and vital supplies if needed.
Teams of 10 will deploy to remote communities across the region who have been impacted by the loss of power and water following the storm.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "We are always ready to provide extra support to civil authorities across the UK in their time of need and it’s great to see units based in Scotland supporting their local communities.
"Our dedicated Armed Forces will conduct door-to-door checks on people in their homes, providing essential support to those impacted by Storm Arwen."
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: "Once again our fantastic British Armed Forces have stepped up to support communities in times of need.
"As well as having been front and centre of the COVID-19 recovery efforts, I’m very pleased they are also able to help those in the Grampian region suffering disruption caused by Storm Arwen.
"We are incredibly fortunate in the UK in having such committed, skilled and willing military personnel to support us in such challenging times."
There are thousands of military personnel on standby to support resilience tasks across the UK including the response to the coronavirus. There are over 300 personnel currently supporting health boards in Scotland with the vaccine rollout and the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Locations who will benefit from military assistance include Aboyne, Alford, Banchory, Banff, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Stonehaven, Turriff and Westhill.
This support has been provided through a Military Aid to the Civilian Authorities request which is the official process for MOD to provide assistance to other government departments and civil authorities for responding to emergencies, maintaining supplies and essential services during a crisis.
Those deployed come from units based in Scotland including 39 Engineer Regiment, 3 Scots and 45 Commando. Some of the marines from 45 Commando have recently returned from cold weather training.
The Ministry of Defence is also engaged with a number of local authorities in northern England who have been affected by Storm Arwen to identify where it would be appropriate to support.
Over the past five days, emergency teams have been working tirelessly to restore power in affected areas. Around one million people have been affected in total and power has now been restored to 98% of those affected.