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Dear colleague,
After a night of heavy rain and strong winds across the county, I would like to thank all staff who have worked – and are still working – to keep Devon safe and on the move.
The preparations made by Devon’s staff since first hearing of the storm last week, and their hard work through the night, made sure that we were able to minimise damage and quickly clear away any debris caused by the severe weather.
Our Highways team made sure that the A roads which were affected by flooding and falling trees have now been cleared, and our County Emergency Planning service provided cover through the night to be ready to deploy 4x4 response and support from voluntary organisations if needed.
Cllr Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Maintenance and Flood Prevention, would especially like to pass on his thanks: “I take my hat off to the highways teams who have worked through the night and this morning responding to incidents as they have occurred, especially South West Highways and our neighbourhood teams who battled with the elements.
“I was in our Highways Operation Control Centre from 9pm last night to 5am this morning, and saw the hundreds of calls coming through from people asking for help. Without the dedication of our teams, the people of Devon could have woken up to a very different picture this morning.”
Although the worst of the storm is now over, I would like to remind staff to stay safe on the roads as it starts to get dark later this afternoon as there may be incidents not yet reported to us, and therefore some roads may still be potentially hazardous.
You can keep in touch with the situation through the Met Office weather warnings and the Environment Agency flood warnings. Further information and advice about the weather, including the details of agencies involved in dealing with the impacts of severe weather, can also be found on the Met Office website.
Kind regards
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