More storms on the horizon – but rural communities left out in the cold

Press Release

Urgent action is needed to bolster resilience in rural communities as winter storms become increasingly frequent, reports rural business organisation Scottish Land & Estates (SLE).

Eleanor Kay, Senior Policy Adviser, Agriculture and Climate Change, at SLE warned that storm disruption is now a recurrent problem: 

“Devastating storms used to occur perhaps once every thirty years but they are becoming more frequent. Rural communities are particularly affected by winter storms, both in terms of the immediate damage caused and also the length of time it takes to access rural areas and re-establish power lines or repair infrastructure. We need a strategic plan to protect rural communities and ensure there is sufficient investment in network resilience, rather than simply repairing damage each time, after the event.”

Scottish Land & Estates highlights the significant cost of storm damage for rural businesses, with loss of crops, devastation to forestry, ruined farming equipment and damage to rural buildings, roads and bridges, from high winds and floods. Rural communities are also more likely to be left without power for longer.

Storm Arwen in November 2021 was one of the most severe in recent UK history, with three fatalities, significant damage to buildings, power lines brought down and millions of trees uprooted. Northeast Scotland, the Scottish Borders and Dumfries & Galloway were among the areas worst hit. An estimated 150,000 homes were left without power or essential services for several days. In some areas power supplies were not restored for nearly two weeks. The cost of Storm Arwen to insurers has been estimated at £300m.

Eleanor Kay continued: 

“Digital connectivity is now essential for business continuity and indeed for responding to an emergency. Broadband and mobile outages hit rural areas hardest and last the longest here. If we build in resilience to our digital and power networks we can protect vulnerable people in rural areas and also avoid the cost of expensive repairs. There are a range of practical measures that we know can help mitigate some of the damage caused by severe weather. Closer collaboration and partnership working between government,  public agencies and rural communities could help save lives and ensure we are better prepared before the next storm hits.”

In addition to power line and network resilience, recommended measures include natural flood prevention schemes, drainage improvements and strengthening of bridges. In some areas bridge and road repairs following Storm Arwen have taken several years. Rural resilience planning should also take into account the experience of residents most impacted by recent storms, to share best practice and adopt the measures most likely to prove effective, according to SLE.