Portsmouth City Council is working with other local authorities, emergency services and partner agencies to support residents across the region ahead of Storm Ciaran bringing extreme weather from 9pm on Wednesday 1 November and through Thursday 2 November 2023.
With very strong winds of up to 80mph expected today (Wednesday) in coastal areas and across the south of the mainland area, there is a risk of damage to buildings and falling trees leading to a potential risk to life.
Extra highways crews are on standby to respond to the impact of Storm Ciaran and clear excess water and tree debris, prioritising main routes and routes to critical services.
All council services have put in plans to ensure services can continue during the storm but if anything changes due to the impacts of the storm, you can find the latest information on the council’s Storm Ciaran webpage and posts on Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter)
We are advising residents to:
- Check our storm advice page on our website portsmouth.gov.uk/stormciaran
- Travel with caution, avoiding coastal and woodland areas.
- Check transport operators (rail, ferry, voi, beryl bikes, and bus) websites and social media channels for any updates before travelling.
- Secure any loose items outside your home and in your garden, such as garden furniture and trampolines, or where possible take them inside.
- Report issues on Portsmouth roads via on our webpage – Report a problem with the road.
- Think about your neighbours and help to protect vulnerable people that you know, who may need support with food or medical supplies.
- If you have a medical problem and you are not sure what to do, visit 111 online at nhs.uk or call 111. Urgent treatment centres and pharmacies can help with minor injuries, please only go to a hospital’s emergency department, or call 999, for life-threatening accidents and emergencies.
Updates on council services:
- Schools will contact parents directly if they feel they need to close. The council is recommending schools review their business continuity plan and staff plans to assess whether they can open on Thursday.
- Waste collection open as normal – if this changes we will update the recycling and rubbish page, send an email to recycling and rubbish bulletin subscribers and post on Facebook and X (formerly twitter)
- Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) plans to continue as normal, if this changes we will update the HWRC page, send an email to recycling and rubbish bulletin subscribers and post on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Keep up to date with the latest information from our partners:
- Sign up for Met Office weather warnings via the Met Office website
- Sign up for flooding alerts via UK gov.uk/check-flood-risk
- Call Floodline on 0345 988 1188
- Follow @EnvAgency on X (formally Twitter) for the latest flood updates
- For public health advice relating to flooding go to: Flooding and health: advice for the public – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) to Public Health advice relating to flooding is available
Leader of the council, Cllr Steve Pitt, said: “We’d like to reassure our residents that we’re working closely with our partners, including emergency services and the environment agency, to ensure that we take a resilient approach and continue to support our communities during the storm.”