The rare red warning which led to last weekend’s extreme weather saw fantastic teamwork across Pembrokeshire pull through - as the disruption hit communities across the county.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s highways crews were called in to action on a huge scale as Storm Darragh battered the county at the weekend, with the recovery set to last some time.

From late Friday (December 6) night teams were out in the cold and wind clearing our highways and making areas safe as hundreds of trees were felled by the exceptionally high winds.

The Out of Hours number was inundated, with more than 400 calls answered over the weekend, as hundreds more tried to get through. Calls were for many different emergencies including fallen trees, broken boilers, carbon monoxide alarms and other non-storm related issues.

At one point during the storm around 50 different trees were reported down in one hour. As teams dealt with one tree others would come down nearby, making for an extremely busy and dangerous weekend for them.

Hundreds of homes were left without power and in house and commissioned social care teams rallied to ensure the most vulnerable were supported. There was a huge effort made to check that direct contact was made with any social care service users who may be without heat and electric.

More than 250 call outs to those with community alarms were carried out, along with follow up welfare visits.

The Community Hub, coordinated by PAVS, helped bring information and support to many, along with scores of domiciliary care workers and care home workers who faced difficult conditions to make sure patients were safe.

Leisure Service staff also stepped in and worked extra hours to keep leisure centres open for longer on Sunday as warm spaces for anyone who needed it. While housing and building maintenance officers responded to a multitude of reports of damage and power cuts.

Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive Will Bramble and Leader Cllr Jon Harvey both sent a sincere message of thanks to all staff who worked incredibly hard during the storm, and continue to do so as we move back to normality.

They joined Head of Infrastructure Darren Thomas at the Templeton Depot to speak to crews directly.

Cllr Harvey added: “The work to clean up and repair damage from Storm Darragh will continue for some time, and huge thanks also goes to the many members of the community who pitched in and helped with the initial clear up and who have been checking on family, friends and neighbours.

“The collaborative working between ourselves, Police, health services and of course, the fantastic communities we have here in Pembrokeshire, was at its best as the storm hit, and we are grateful for how residents, farmers, businesses and community hub pulled together.”

Anyone still without power or water can access facilities at our Leisure Centres, including Fishguard which has reopened following storm repairs, for a warm space, shower and to charge devices.

If you are concerned about anyone in the community without power, please contact National Grid on 105 as they have arrangements with the Red Cross to provide support. Some support in the community can also be provided via the Community Hub. Please contact 01437 723660 or email [email protected]

Generators are available to those without power by contacting us on 01437 764551 or [email protected]. If you know anyone who requires support, especially if they are vulnerable and have support from social care, please contact us on 01437 764551 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm).