The impact of power outages in Shetland has been declared a major incident.
It comes after The Scottish Government Resilience Room met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the ongoing extreme weather conditions that has left without power.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that damage to its network is considerable and particularly extensive across the West of Mainland Shetland, with large-scale generation being mobilised to complement overhead line repairs.
SSEN confirmed that engineers have been able to restore power to 1,000 properties in Unst, Gutcher and parts of Yell on Tuesday. However, as of 5:30pm, around 2,800 householders remained off supply in Voe, Whalsay, Brae, Yell and the West Mainland.
READ MORE: Record low temp recorded for second night — with big freeze to last until weekend
Justice Secretary Keith Brown, lead Minister for resilience, said that while efforts continue to restore supply to Shetland, many properties “will face days without power”.
He said: “The challenging circumstances facing parts of Shetland have been declared a major incident and, while SSEN is making every effort to restore supplies, it is clear that many properties will face days without power.
“This afternoon I chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) with our multi-agency partners to make every effort to restore power and support households.
#Shetland’s Area Commander is urging people living in areas severely affected by snow to stay at home.
— Northern Police (@northernPolice) December 13, 2022
Thousands of homes are still without power - to read more, visit: https://t.co/MXxCUhOo68
“Sumburgh airport has now reopened and we are working with SSEN and transport operators to maximise capacity. We expect more SSEN engineers will arrive early tomorrow morning and will continue to do what we can to get as many staff and as much equipment to Shetland as needed, as early as possible.
“Our utmost priority must be to ensure that people, especially the most vulnerable, are safe and warm. SSEN have contacted all priority customers and Shetland Islands Council has identified vulnerable people who may need extra support. It is also considering how buildings such as community centres could be used to provide respite centres if needed.
“I would urge people to heed the Police Scotland advice to stay at home, find ways to stay warm, check in on neighbours, friends and family, and listen to the local radio or follow social media for updates.”
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