St Ouen Faces Power Outages as Storm Goretti Strikes Island

Intense winds and heavy rain from Storm Goretti caused significant power outages in St Ouen, leaving many households without electricity for hours on the evening of March 14, 2024. The storm, described as the most severe since Storm Ciara, prompted Jersey Electricity to shut off power to a damaged line for safety reasons. By the following morning, the utility company reported that approximately 300 customers across the island remained without power.

Community Response Amid Challenges

The power outage began around 17:30 local time, well before the storm reached its peak intensity. As gusts escalated, residents in St Ouen resorted to candles and battery-powered devices to navigate the unexpected situation. Deputy Lucy Stephenson provided updates to the community, assuring residents that support was available. She announced that the parish hall could serve as a refuge for those in need.

“A number of properties are currently without electricity after an overhead power line was damaged,” Deputy Stephenson stated. “Jersey Electricity have now turned off the power to the line for safety reasons and are working on it currently. They hope to restore it this evening.” She encouraged anyone affected to reach out to the duty centenier for assistance.

Among those impacted was local resident Mike Truscott, who lost power at his home shortly after the outage began. “We are fortunate to have a coal fire, so it’s nice and cosy,” he commented during an interview. “Food is not an issue; we have fruit and sandwiches keeping us going.”

Despite the challenges, Truscott found a way to pass the time. “We watched Clarkson’s Farm on an iPad,” he said. However, he expressed disappointment at missing the Arsenal vs. Liverpool match due to the outage.

Utility Crews Mobilize for Repairs

Constable Richard Honeycombe noted that prior issues with an overhead cable had caused sparks before the storm. He praised the efforts of Jersey Electricity, stating that they were working diligently to restore power under hazardous conditions. He also mentioned damage from fallen trees and debris scattered across the parish.

“The effort is great,” Honeycombe remarked. “As usual, everybody pulled together.” The situation was not unique to St Ouen; households in the Maufant area also experienced outages, with resident Karen Baudains reporting that her power went out at 22:58.

Jersey Electricity confirmed that their teams were assessing damage and working to restore power across the island. A spokesperson for the company indicated that they were managing about 31 incidents, with the number of affected customers potentially increasing as inspections continued.

“We currently estimate that around 300 customers are without power across these incidents,” the spokesperson said. “Our teams are doing everything we can to help those impacted as quickly and safely as possible.”

Residents were advised to avoid damaged power infrastructure and report any electrical hazards immediately by calling the utility’s emergency line. Vulnerable customers without power were encouraged to contact JEC’s Customer Care team for assistance. As the storm continued to affect the island, the community remained resilient, relying on each other and local resources to navigate the challenges presented by Storm Goretti.