An emergency Cobra meeting will be held as England and Wales are braced for what is expected to be one of the worst storms in decades, with millions told to stay at home to avoid winds of up to 90mph and the army placed on standby.
Ministers and officials met Friday afternoon, after Storm Eunice prompted rare red weather warnings – meaning danger to life – across much of England and Wales.
A government spokesperson said: “The minister for the Cabinet Office will chair a COBR this afternoon to discuss the response to Storm Eunice.”
The highest alert – meaning a major impact is very likely – was widened shortly before 4am to cover the east of England including London, to run from 10am until 3pm on Friday, due to fears of the storm “causing significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds”, the Met Office said.
The warning covering Greater London, Kent, Surrey, Essex and east Sussex joined an earlier red weather warning starting from 7am along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset, as well as the south coast of Wales, due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.
There is a risk of “flying debris resulting in danger to life” and “damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down” along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales.
On media morning rounds on Friday, Hinds, said people should take precautions, adding that the army was on “high readiness standby” to help.
Asked if people could get “cut off” by the storm, Hinds said that was “absolutely a risk”, and the red weather warning indicated a “risk to life and limb”.
People have been warned to tie down objects in their gardens and be wary of fierce winds, which could cause trees to topple over and tiles to fly off buildings. “Make sure you follow the advice of local authorities and councils, fasten doors and windows tonight and tomorrow morning and keep your cars locked in garages or away from trees and walls,” said the Met Office forecaster Annie Shuttleworth.
