(Image: North Yorkshire Council)
North Yorkshire’s deputy chief fire officer has urged people to “continue to take care” due to forecast rain which comes after two storms battered the county.
Thousands of people were left without power and roads across the county were blocked by fallen trees as storms Austen and Boelo hit York and North Yorkshire over the weekend.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it attended more than 30 weather-related incidents as 60mph gusts swept through the area.
Valley Road in Scarborough closed due to Storm Boelo (Image: North Yorkshire Council)
The fire service’s deputy chief fire officer, Garry Mackay, said more rain is forecast later in the 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 Council said its partners dealt with more than 1,500 calls for help and assistance.
The council said Scarborough was first to be hit after an “extreme cloudburst event” on Friday evening saw torrential downpours with more than three inches of rain falling in an hour – overwhelming drainage systems and flooding some residential streets.
Matt Robinson, chief resilience officer for the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which coordinates response and recovery efforts in the county, 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.”
- Storm Boelo sees roads close and power cuts hit York
- Tree falls on cars at York hostel as Storm Boelo hits with 55mph gusts
- Thousands of North Yorkshire homes expected to be without power this morning
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 force’s superintendent Andy Nunns, who chaired the multi-agency response, 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.
“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.”