The clean-up operation continues across Cornwall after Storm Goretti battered the region with winds of almost 100mph, leaving a trail of destruction and thousands of households still cut off from essential services days later.
Widespread Disruption and Calls for Emergency Aid
As of Monday afternoon, the scale of the disruption remained severe. National Grid reported around 1,250 properties were still without power, with the Helston area worst affected. Meanwhile, South West Water (SWW) confirmed approximately 3,000 homes had no water supply. The storm's impact forced 31 schools in Cornwall to either close or open late.
The Liberal Democrat MP for St Ives, Andrew George, has demanded greater government support, arguing the situation warrants a national emergency declaration. In a social media post, he contrasted the response with what he believed would occur if the crisis hit London or the Home Counties.
"If this happened in London or the home counties it would have been headline national news for days and the government would declare a national emergency," George stated. His calls led to a meeting of the Emergency Ministerial Strategic Response Group on Sunday, chaired by Defra minister Mary Creagh MP.
"Devastating" Damage to Water Infrastructure
South West Water described the storm's effect on its network as "devastating." The company revealed that six major water mains in the Helston area were severely damaged by uprooted trees. Sam Bottomley, SWW's water services director for Devon and Cornwall, explained that 30 to 40 fallen trees had landed directly on mains pipes from the Wendron treatment works.
While repair teams are working to restore services, and supplies have been returned to over half of those affected, the process is slow. Janine Williams, landlord of the Blue Anchor pub in Helston, told the BBC the community was relying on local businesses. "We've had a lot of people coming in trying to charge their phones... We've had our fires on and heating on, so people have had a warm place to sit," she said.
Tragic Consequences and Political Frustration
The storm had a tragic outcome in the Mawgan area of Helston. A man in his 50s was found dead after a tree fell onto his caravan on Thursday night. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed his death is not being treated as suspicious and his next of kin have been informed.
MP Andrew George expressed further frustration on Monday, criticising Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle for not granting him the right to call for a national emergency response in Parliament, despite doing so for a water outage in East Grinstead, Sussex. George argued that the impact in Cornwall, where over 50,000 homes experienced utility outages, "would dwarf" other incidents.
He highlighted the severe impact on vulnerable residents, citing an instance where nursing home residents had to be evacuated after a roof was torn off and the home lost all power and water.
With repair efforts ongoing, the communities of Cornwall face a prolonged recovery from Storm Goretti's ferocious visit.
