The last of 72,000 homes which lost power during Storm Floris have been reconnected after five days without electricity. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed that customers who lost power on Monday were "finally reconnected" by 11am on Friday.
The power network described Storm Floris as "exceptional" and said its response operation in the north of Scotland was "comparable to those usually seen in the depths of winter". Repairs took longer than usual due to fallen trees and "the sheer volume of damage to overhead lines caused by this week's destructive winds".
Record winds cause widespread damage
SSEN said "record wind speeds and widespread storm-force gusts" caused "considerable network damage" across the region. By Wednesday evening, around 950 homes, mainly in the Highlands, were still without power as a result of the weather.
A total of 71,000 customers had been reconnected by that stage. The massive restoration effort involved 1,000 workers and included providing 7,500 hot meals to people awaiting reconnection.
Compensation payments confirmed
Storm Floris has been confirmed as a category two severe weather event, triggering automatic compensation payments. Customers without power for more than 48 hours continuously will receive a guaranteed standards payment of £85.
They will also receive a subsequent payment of £45 for each continuous six-hour period that they did not have power thereafter. The company contacted 100,000 vulnerable customers ahead of the storm arriving via text or phone call.
Director praises response effort
Andy Smith, SSEN distribution's director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, praised the exceptional response to the storm. "Floris was an exceptional storm, which has called for an exceptional response from us - 1,000 people have been working hard to reconnect homes and support customers while a huge volume of network reconstruction has been done in challenging conditions," he said.
Smith thanked both his own teams and contract partners who supported the operation. He particularly praised the 72,000 customers whose supplies were interrupted for their "patience and understanding while we've worked to rebuild the network as safely and as quickly as we could".
The director encouraged customers who lost power to check details of compensation that will be provided and to make claims for reimbursement if they qualify. He also highlighted the "kindness shown to our teams working in communities and the support given on social media over the past few days".
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
