Boris Johnson has announced the army is “on standby” ready to deal with the storm which is expected to batter parts of the UK tomorrow. Speaking on Sky News today (Thursday, February 17), the Prime Minister said troops are on standby ready to deal with possible fallout from Storm Eunice.
The storm is set to hit part of the UK with winds of up to 100mph on Friday, just two days after Storm Dudley caused tens of thousands of houses to lose power on Wednesday. The clean-up operation following Storm Dudley, which saw wind speeds of more than 80mph in some areas of the UK, is still ongoing in parts of North Wales and West Yorkshire.
Speaking on Sky News this afternoon, Boris Johnson said: “For those who’ve already been affected by Storm Dudley we’re offering all the support that we can. I extend my sympathies to those who are still without power. We are working with the power companies and the local authorities to get their juice restored as fast as possible.”
The Prime Minister then added: “But also, of course, the army is on standby.” Asked to confirm that the army is on standby for the storm, Boris Johnson repeated: “Yes.”
READ MORE: Live updates as London set to be battered by 70mph winds in ‘the worst storm for 30 years’
London is on “amber alert” for when the storm hits tomorrow, with the city expected to be battered by 70mph winds. There is also a “good chance” of power cuts on railway lines and buses, with trains and flights likely to be cancelled. The amber alert means there is a potential risk to life and property in the most extreme cases.
The storm is caused by an active jet stream that is “driving low-pressure systems across the country, both of which are likely to cause some disruption,” according to Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen. Forecasting company Met Desk have said: “Storm Eunice looks absolutely brutal on Friday, a very dangerous, damaging storm. These type of wind gusts across South Britain are very rare. Flying debris and falling trees will be a huge problem.”
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Met Office forecaster Becky Mitchell told The Mirror : “With the wind gusts we are forecasting at the moment, we’ve only seen a handful of storms in the past 30 years that have brought similar gusts. It’s got the potential to be up there as quite a notable storm. Winds are likely to be 60 to 70mph inland across the south of the UK. It’s quite unusual, we don’t see gusts that high over such a wide area in the south.”
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