Palnackie is pulling out the stops to ensure the community is as prepared as it possibly can be before the next winter storm hits.
Local residents were left without heat and light for 38 hours after hurricane force winds from Arwen crippled power supplies on November 27.
Then Storm Barra roared in last Tuesday to cause two more power outages – sparking residents’ fears of further significant disruption and worry.
The growing threat posed by violent storms – particularly to the elderly and young families – has prompted Buittle Community Council to act.
And following a snap resilience meeting last week moves are now under way to set up an emergency centre in the village.
Community council secretary Lorraine Light told the News: “We are hoping to set up a hub within the village and are looking at either the shop-cafe or the pub.
“Both are centrally located rather than being further out on the fringes.
“We have yet to make any decisions as to where the new hub might be.
“We had some very good ideas from the meeting on how we should respond in future.
“People made it clear how they felt about the fact that we were without power for so long with minimal communication from anywhere.”
She added: “We wanted to have a look at what facilities we have within the village and make sure that if it happens again, people know who to contact.
“They need to know where to garner information and how long they are likely to be without power.”
Damage caused by Arwen left Palnackie with no electricity from 9pm on Friday, November 27, until 11.30am on the 29th.
And two more brief power cuts hit the village when Storm Barra battered the coastline just 12 days later.
Now posters are being circulated around Buittle parish seeking community support for the resilience hub plan.
Mrs Light believes taking steps to buffer the coastal community against storm impacts is vital – both to give people reassurance and provide practical assistance.
She said: “With Arwen, because power went out so suddenly people were struggling around looking for torches.
“We lost power again with Storm Barra last Tuesday night.
“It went off at 5.30pm for 20 minutes and again at 6.10pm for ten minutes.
“Residents living on their own especially felt quite vulnerable so we are looking to provide a response should it happen again.”
