Major incident declared across Avon and Somerset as South West braces for Storm Eunice
All the emergency services will work closely together along with the NHS and other partners to ensure their response is as good as possible
Last updated 17th Feb 2022
Emergency services across Avon and Somerset have declared a major incident ahead of Storm Eunice.
Winds of up to 90 miles an hour are expected to hit the South West on Friday (February 18), meaning widespread, potentially severe disruption is likely.
A red weather warning has been issued for much of the region meaning flying debris could pose a danger to life, roofs could be blown off buildings and trees could be uprooted.
Dangerous conditions are expected along the length of the west coast of Somerset through the Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary into Gloucestershire.
The Environment Agency has issued a flood warning for Severn Beach and flood alerts for Porlock Weir, along the Severn between Avonmouth and Sharpness and along the Avon into Bristol.
"Members of the public are asked to avoid travelling on Friday morning wherever possible and to follow weather and travel bulletins on local radio or check on local media websites," a statement from Avon and Somerset Police reads.
"Travel information will also be shared by National Highways, Travel Somerset, Travel West or you can check with your local public transport provider.
"Emergency services, local authorities, National Highways and other voluntary and statutory agencies are on stand-by to put well-rehearsed plans into place."
The declaration of a major incident sparks the formation of Avon and Somerset's Local Resilience Forum (LRF), which is essentially a taskforce bringing together all the region's emergency services and other key groups so they can coordinate their response to the storm.
They are supported in their work by other groups such as the NHS, highways agencies, utility companies and in some cases also the military, so the area can prepare for the emergency and respond to it, as well as possible.
Network Rail have already announced there will be severe disruption on train lines across the South West.
Services on almost all branch lines across Devon and Cornwall will be suspended, while on the main route between Bristol and Penzance a temporary speed limit will be in force and less trains will be running.
In Bristol several schools have announced they will close, while Bristol Airport is advising passengers to check the status of their flights before travelling.
You can check which Bristol schools will be shut here.
Keep listening to us and keep an eye on the website for all the latest information as the storm unfolds.