*** Storm Update - Welfare Provisions *** We have had a team of - TopicsExpress

*** Storm Update - Welfare Provisions *** We have had a team of staff who have been calling customers identified as vulnerable on our Priority Services Register since Wednesday 7th January. This has been done to prepare them for the bad weather and to identify who might need additional support if they were to experience a power cut. During this preparation period, we spoke to around 800 customers and escalated a small number of customers’ requests for further action. Additionally, we placed some customers on a watch list to ensure that we made more frequent calls to them during the weather event itself. During the storm we have continued to proactively contact our vulnerable customers to provide updated information on restoration times and have an escalation process in place to ensure that any additional support required is swiftly delivered. This has included the following activities: • In the Caithness area, we have a Welfare Team who has been visiting our most vulnerable customers, providing hot food and drinks and charging batteries for their emergency on call alarms. • We have provided oil where customers have their own generators and have provided assistance for some elderly customers who could not operate their own generators. • We have provided assistance to customers who, despite being back on supply, have not been able to operate their own trip switches. • British Red Cross have supported us by providing additional hot food, drinks and blankets to our vulnerable customers across the Highlands, particularly in more remote areas. • We have arranged overnight accommodation for medically-dependent and disabled customers who requested additional support. • We have shared our list of vulnerable customers with our Emergency Partners who have been able to cross-reference this list against their own to ensure maximum coverage in the worst affected areas. • We have engaged with local businesses to provide hot food and drinks and they have also delivered meals to customers in nearby communities who required additional support. • We have, so far, provided 25,000 hot meals and 35,000 hot and cold drinks LOCATIONS FOR WELFARE ASSISTANCE - Argyll & West Isle of Coll - All customers have been contacted face to face and offered additional assistance Scalpay, Isle of Skye - All customers have been contacted and are content with arrangements in place. Highland Brora - Sutherland Inn – Providing meals and hot drinks until 20:00 Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance. Dornoch – Strathconnon/Edderton/Embo/ Castaway Chip Shop and Dornoch Inn – Providing meals and hot drinks until 22:00 Rogart/Clashmore/Glenurquhart - Dornoch Academy – Providing warm place to go Rogart Primary School – Catering Unit in place plus Welfare Van with 2 man team with generators and hot food/drinks. Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance. Golspie - The Trawler Takeaway – Providing food and hot drinks until 20:00 Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance. John o Groats/Lybster/Watten - John o Groats Village Hall – Catering unit in place Portland Arms Hotel, Lybster – Catering unit in place Lairg - Lairg Hotel - Providing meals and hot drinks until 20:30 and breakfast in the morning Community Liaison teams visiting vulnerable customers, delivering food and additional assistance. Lethen - Mr Tan Chinese Takeaway, High Street, Nairn – Providing and delivering food Muir of Ord/Marybank - Finnie’s Chip Shop, Muir of Ord – Providing hot food and drinks Beauly/Kiltarlity - Beauly Square – Catering Unit Fortrose/Munlochy/Avoch/Cromarty - McGintys Chip Shop, High Street – Providing hot food and drinks Drumnadrochit – Strathglass/Abriachan - Drumnadrochit Tourist Information - Catering Unit Western Isles Stornoway - Caladh Inn provided 400 litres of soup which will be distributed by Mountain Rescue to customers in more remote areas who will be off overnight West Lewis/North Lochs/Rodel - Hebrides Hotel, Tarbert – Providing meals, hot drinks and accommodation where required Caberfeidh Hotel, Stornoway – Providing meals, hot drinks and accommodation where required Mountain Rescue have been continuing to distribute torches and glowsticks in areas which will be off overnight.