An Aberdeenshire woman has said she feels guilty after her mum spent 48 hours without power and water in her sheltered housing complex.
The 79-year-old lives at Littlewood Court in Kemnay which was one of more than 100,000 properties that lost power following Storm Arwen on Friday.
The residents were left with no fire panel on site and disconnected from their alarm system which could have been catastrophic in the case of an emergency.
Now Sharon Travers has accused the council of failing residents by not having a back-up generator on site or offering them an alternative safe place to stay.
It is ‘shocking’
Ms Travers, from Newmachar, shared that she was unable to get in contact with her mother, Margaret Ross, to find out how she was coping during the storm.
“I had no idea if she was OK, none. They’ve had no water, no heat, no light. Also, more concerning and actually illegal as far as I’m aware, no fire panel connected as the power was off,” she said.
“If a fire had started there was no way of anybody knowing. The fire brigade wouldn’t have been aware and nobody could phone 999 to get there.
“In the pitch black, very elderly people are even more vulnerable. They shouldn’t be walking about with candles, especially with no fire panel.
“Everybody was in the same boat, but sheltered housing is not a cheap option for elderly people. The fact that there was no back-up generator to power the fire panel, at least, is shocking.
“I was under the impression, wrongly, that there was a generator and now feel guilty because I thought she would be OK. I’ve badly let her down.”
‘We could be dead here and nobody would know’
Ms Travers was unable to leave her house on Saturday due to a fallen tree but did manage to visit Littlewood Court on Sunday.
“The area at the front door was full of residents, about 15 to 20 people, sitting around each other with blankets around them,” she said.
“All residents were incredibly angry, all sitting freezing and feeling abandoned. A few said to me: ‘We could be dead here and nobody would know’.
“It’s a long time to be in the dark. It wasn’t safe, there are no emergency lights and they could only use the stairs because the lift wasn’t working. They were completely cut off and isolated.”
More communication needed
Ms Ross, who turns 80 on Hogmanay, has lived at the complex for more than a decade, but has not been in a situation of this scale before.
Her daughter said she was “fine, considering” and more prepared for the “apocalypse” than anybody else.
“She had a gas stove, that I always laughed at her having in the cupboard, but it was needed and a battery operated torch, as I always panic about candles.”
Ms Travers said it would have made a difference if a member of staff had been present at the housing all weekend to make sure the residents were coping and to keep their family members informed.
She said: “As simple as leaving a member of staff there, would have meant the world to the residents and the families that have not been able to reach them. All they wanted was some reassurance.
“It would have helped if a member of staff could have been on site at all times. That isn’t what happens in sheltered housing now, but this was a dire emergency. It could have been a matter of life or death.
“A member of staff on site would have made a massive difference, even acting as a fire warden. Somebody there just in case.”
‘They badly let them down’
Like many others over the weekend, the residents at Littlewood Court found support from their local community.
Once word spread that the residents had no access to a hot meal, Cafe 83 in the town brought them a big pot of soup and bacon rolls. They also supplied a large flask of hot water for drinks and to fill hot water bottles.
However, Ms Travers believes the council should have done more to support those living in sheltered housing when the storm hit.
“It’s been difficult for everybody, don’t get me wrong. But the council has a responsibility to these residents as well as everybody else in the shire, and they really badly let them down,” she said.
“Aberdeenshire Council has been sorely lacking in their preparation of this. It’s an emergency disaster, but what happened to the emergency planning?
“I can accept Friday, I wouldn’t have expected them to be moved on Friday night, but legally with no fire panel they should have all been decanted. They should have been taken to somewhere else on Saturday, but the offer was never made.
“I need to know moving forward what the council will be doing. I need to know that this won’t happen again. What have they learnt from this?”
A spokeswoman for Aberdeenshire Council said: “As has been the case across large parts of Aberdeenshire there has been a mass power failure due to Storm Arwen. Unfortunately, Littlewood Court was also without power due to that.
“A generator was sourced and connected during the course of yesterday however at time of connection the power was restored.”