Storm Ciara caused havoc across the country in recent few days and here in Southend we also had our fair share of wind-related issues!
During the height of the storm the BID’s Street Ranger team was called into action on Sunday when, with gusts in excess of 60mph, the Royals Shopping Centre had to close due to safety concerns. The Rangers assisted with cordoning-off the area of the High Street – running from Alexandra Street to Pier Hill. They remained on site for over 3 hours, enduring the extremely blustery conditions, to ensure the safety of local residents, employees from neighbouring businesses and visitors to the Town Centre.
Earlier, the Street Rangers were called to help with a fallen tree on Cambridge Road, near the town’s bowling green. Soon after arriving, they used their initiative to close the road and put signage in place to alert motorists and pedestrians to the possible danger.
Throughout the day, they were also called to deal with several incidents including a satellite dish that had fallen from a building. Thankfully, there were no injuries to any passers-by during these events and the dish was removed to keep the pavement clear in Elmer Approach.
As the storm continued to rage, the Rangers also discovered a set of barriers on Clifftown Road, which were causing a safety issue for vehicles, as they were strewn across the road. With minimum fuss, the barriers were gathered together and secured, to prevent further problems.
The continued effects of Ciara were further felt on Monday (10 February), when the seafront flooded due to a storm surge and high tide. Joining up with our partners from the Council's Community Safety Team, the BID Street Rangers helped with another emergency road closure, by diverting motorists and the public from the worst affected area, located the by Three Shells café, near Adventure Island.
“It has certainly been an eventful few days for the team, and we would like to thank the town’s CCTV operators, Southend Police, the Community Safety Team and the other organisations involved for their help throughout the drama of Storm Ciara. It was a great show of working in partnership,” says Southend BID Co-Ordinator, Rebecca Venn.