STORM Gerrit has caused serious damage to homes across Scotland, as more than 40,000 homes lost power.
Yet when it comes to storm damage, it's not all about electricity and power failures.
Many homeowners have to deal with fallen trees and fences, whilst household items or roofs may be damaged by high winds and falling debris.
Many homes experienced damage as a result of the storm, including intense flooding in Fife (above).
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution said it remains hopeful all homes will be reconnected to power by the end of Thursday. As of 4pm on Thursday, 250 homes remain without power.
The Met Office has issued a new yellow weather warning which will come into force from 8am on December 30 and will remain in place until 11.59pm.
As low pressure sweeps across the UK on Saturday, we are expecting some strong and gusty winds to come with it 🌬️ Warnings have been issued which you can look at in more detail here 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/XMEQk42kc6
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 29, 2023
It covers almost the entirety of the north of Scotland, including cities such as Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, although it does not cover Glasgow or Edinburgh.
According to the Met Office website, yellow weather warnings could mean:
- There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
- There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
- There is a chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel
Can I claim for storm damage on my house?
Thankfully, home insurance, commercial business policies and comprehensive motor insurance all cover damage caused by storms.
Although most insurers will cover financial loss caused by storm damage, some home insurance policies vary in what they regard as a "storm", so it is important to be aware of their definitions.
While the categorisations of a storm vary from company to company, the Association of British Insurers categorises a storm as the following:
- Wind speeds of 55mph and over
- Rainfall of at least 25mm per hour
- Snow at least as deep as one foot
- Hail that causes damage to hard surfaces and glass
Even within these parameters, there might be some exceptions to what you can get paid out on. Fences, for example, are often excluded as they are at such a high risk of damage during strong winds.
Laura Hughes, manager of general insurance at the Association of British Insurers (ABI), said: “When bad weather hits, their priority is always to help their affected customers recover as quickly as possible – from making emergency payments, arranging any temporary emergency accommodation, to getting the damage repaired.
"If you suffer damage to your property, contact your insurer as soon as you can for help and advice.”
Power losses
If you've lost power in your home as a result of a storm or bad weather, electricity suppliers typically have 24 hours to restore your connection.
When it comes to abnormal cases such as storms, this deadline can be moved to 48 hours, allowing energy suppliers more time to send out repair teams.
Consumer advice service Which? says compensation varies by the amount of power cut cases reported to suppliers over 24 hours.
SSEN have advised that people who have had no power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day without power, to cover the cost of food and drink.
People should keep hold of receipts and claim costs back at www.ssen.co.uk/stormclaim.
Once final fault assessments are carried out, any customers impacted for over 48 hours will be entitled to compensation under the regulated Guaranteed Standards of Performance.
For power interruptions over 48 hours, customers will receive £80, with a further £40 for every subsequent 6-hour period they were off supply (up to a maximum of £2000).
Customers do not need to contact SSEN to request compensation as this process is automatic.
