More than 1,500 calls for help were handled as two storms battered North Yorkshire, flooding homes, bringing down trees and trapping people in vehicles.
Storms Austen and Boelo brought the region’s first amber weather warning of the autumn, as emergency crews tackled flooding, dangerous structures and widespread debris.
Scarborough was the first area affected, with an extreme downpour on Friday evening (October 23) seeing more than three inches of rain fall in just one hour.
The torrential rain overwhelmed drainage systems and flooded residential streets, with properties on the Esplanade, Falsgrave Road, St Johns Road, Westwood Road and Westbourne Grove inundated with water.
Several cars were stranded in the flood water.
Across North Yorkshire, council highways teams dealt with almost 200 calls for help between Friday and Monday morning, ranging from requests for sandbags to a significant number of reports of fallen trees blocking roads.
Whitby and Harrogate were among the areas most impacted, although debris was reported on roads across the county.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service attended 32 weather-related incidents, including 12 flooded premises and 14 dangerous structures.
Crews were also called to two incidents involving people trapped in vehicles in flood water.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Garry Mackay said: “This weekend was a real example of partners working together, both to prepare for the storms and to respond when communities needed us.
“Our crews had a busy weekend, attending more than 30 weather-related incidents, and I’d like to thank everyone involved in the response.
Roads were closed as two storms struck North Yorkshire over the weekend. Communities across the county were supported through a multi-agency response, with council staff, police and fire officers working together with others to keep people safe and maintain essential services.
“Although the storms have passed, further rain is forecast this week, so please continue to take care. If you come across flood water, don’t attempt to drive through it. Turn around and find a safer route.”
North Yorkshire Police’s Force Control Room handled 758 emergency 999 calls and 1,314 non-emergency 101 calls across Saturday and Sunday, with 1,322 incidents recorded.
The response and recovery operation was coordinated through the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, led by North Yorkshire Council on behalf of its partners.
Officials said members of the farming community also helped clear debris from roads, assisting highways teams as they worked to keep routes open or reopen them.
Matt Robinson, chief resilience officer for the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, said: “We are fortunate to have a strong community spirit in York and North Yorkshire, and we are very grateful to all those who looked out for anyone close to them who may have needed an extra bit of help over the weekend.
“We also know that the farming community helped clear roads of debris assisting highways teams to keep routes open or reopen them as quickly as possible and we want to say thank you to them.
“On a very practical level having key partners working closely like this allows the best possible use of intelligence and information sharing so that we can keep people safe.”
The forum also used Northern Powergrid postcode data showing areas experiencing power outages and cross-referenced this with its register of people who receive social care support or were being assessed for a care package.
Mr Robinson added: “This information was immediately cross referenced with our register of people who have social care support or who are being assessed for a care package.
“Working together allows us to swiftly prioritise welfare checks and support where it’s needed the most.”
Superintendent Andy Nunns, of North Yorkshire Police, who chaired the multi-agency response, said the weekend had passed without any major incidents.
He said: “I would like to thank all our partners who worked tirelessly throughout the weekend in preparation for, and response to, Storm Boelo. Their hard work, commitment and collaboration helped keep our communities safe during a period of disruption.
Read more
All the events cancelled across County Durham and the North East ahead of Storm Boelo
Fallen trees, power cuts and travel chaos as Storm Boelo hits the North East
Storm Boelo amber alert as North East drivers warned over A1(M), A66 and A19
“Thankfully, the weekend passed without any major incidents, and the coordinated efforts of our partners ensured that essential services were able to continue operating as normally as possible.
“This is a testament to the strength of our partnerships and the dedication of everyone involved in keeping people safe and helping our communities remain resilient.”
Storm Boelo was a separate low-pressure system from Storm Austen, which had already affected southern parts of the UK before moving into the North Sea.