Storm Goretti clean up under way

A LARGE-SCALE clean-up operation was under way this morning after Storm Goretti brought down dozens of trees, left homes without power and damage to several buildings.

Maximum wind speeds reached 95 miles per hour last night as Jersey was hit by the worst storm since Ciarán in 2023.

The peak of the storm came at around 10pm, with the west of the Island bearing the brunt of it. As the worst of Goretti hit, a red wind warning was issued and Islanders were advised to stay indoors.

Teams from the Infrastructure and Environment Departments worked through the night and into this morning to clear the roads of debris and, while there were no report of storm-related injuries, emergency services had a busy night.

A number of houses in St Ouen were left without power, with the Parish Hall acting as a place of refuge overnight, while some properties in Maufant were also affected. There were also reports that some properties in Gorey were without water.

In town, the ice rink structure at the Weighbridge came loose and there was some structural damage to the Hospital which closed Gloucester Street temporarily, but the road had reopened by this morning.

This morning, a government spokesperson said: “Some schools are opening later this morning following checks by head teachers.

“The Hospital is planning to run normal services today but the Hospital and the Emergency Department is extremely busy so please only attend in a genuine emergency.

“The west of the Island seems to have been worse hit, but there were no reports of storm-related injuries.”

The picture was worse in Guernsey as around 50 people were evacuated from their homes in St Peter Port after a tree fell and caused structural damage to two blocks of flats. Those affected were put in up in two nearby hotels.

And, all Guernsey schools were closed yesterday and were expected to open on Monday.