A STORM resilience meeting will be held on Saturday [February 7] at Trelissick, focusing on how communities can strengthen resilience in the future.

Jayne Kirkham, Labour MP for Truro and Falmouth, will cover topics including communications and internet infrastructure, power supply, community coordination, and emergency planning at the town, parish and individual level.

Storm Goretti caused extensive damage on January 8, leaving many people without power and phone lines due to damage often caused by fallen trees. “I know a lot of people in Truro and Falmouth have been struggling with connectivity and with getting information about internet reconnection,” said Ms Kirkham. “I felt a meeting would help bridge that gap and clear up any confusion.”

This meeting forms part of a wider conversation Ms Kirkham is having with constituents, government and service providers to address the increasingly severe impacts of extreme weather. Storm Goretti was followed swiftly by the heavy rainfall and disruption of Storms Ingrid and Chandra.

In a bid to hold service providers accountable and ensure clear communication, Ms Kirkham spoke with Openreach representatives on Tuesday [February 3] to discuss progress on post-storm repair work and broadband reconnection across Cornwall.

“Cornwall’s infrastructure has been pushed to its limits by high winds and heavy rainfall,” Ms Kirkham continued. “I’ve spoken with constituents whose homes have been badly damaged, vulnerable people who lost contact with the outside world, and others who faced days without power. We must learn from these experiences and plan ahead.

“As bad weather becomes more frequent due to climate change, we need robust and coordinated local emergency plans. Good communication with service providers is essential so repair work can be carried out quickly and efficiently, keeping people connected and safe.”

In Perranarworthal, Elizabeth Dale’s parents were without a fully-functioning digital landline between January 8 and February 3, during which time Elizabeth was on holiday abroad. She confirmed BT assigned a regular contact to her parents, arranged for landline calls to be diverted to their basic mobile phone, and was discussing compensation for loss of service.

“I cannot fault BT for how they responded once we got through to the complaints board, but that only happened because I contacted the press and my MP,” she said. “My parents are from a generation that doesn’t like to make a fuss, and would have waited for something to happen, but we have neighbours within a mile of us who still have no working service.

“As I see it, a system has been put in place that is not yet fit for purpose in rural areas. When I asked what would happen when the power went out, BT couldn’t give me any reassurance – and they still can’t. If there is more bad weather, and there will be, we could find ourselves in the same situation.

“We had a phone line that worked when the power went down – why take that away? This isn’t progress, or an improvement.”

Jayne Kirkham’s storm meeting will take place on Saturday, February 7 from 11am to 12.30pm in the Barn Meeting Space, Trelissick.