AFTER Storm Austen last week - with its echoes of Storm Goretti - I want to thank everyone who helped to clear up and reconnect our communities.

It blew down more trees and took out power across the region. In fact, just after the storm, I held a Tea with Your MP event in Goonhavern, where the intermittent power cuts while we were sitting in the village halls highlighted the challenges we face.

So many areas in Cornwall, like Goonhavern, have little or, in some cases, no mobile signal, leaving people completely cut off during events such as Austen and Goretti.

Just before Austen hit, the government launched its ‘Be Ready’ campaign with guidance on how we can all be better prepared and more resilient when emergencies occur.

This is exactly the kind of guidance that would have helped during Storm Goretti, when thousands were left without power and communications for days, and in some cases weeks. It disrupted water supplies and people really suffered, particularly those who are more vulnerable.

Unlike neighbouring countries, we do not have a standard household emergency preparedness plan. That is why this campaign is valuable. The government has worked with other countries to learn from their experience and best practice, and alongside parish and town council emergency plans, this guidance will help communities build resilience.

The ‘Be Ready’ campaign encourages households to keep at least three days’ worth of essential supplies, including non-perishable food, bottled water, a torch, a battery-powered radio, a basic first aid kit and warm blankets. It also encourages people to sign up to the Priority Services Register (PSR), which helps gas, water and electricity companies identify customers who may need extra support during an emergency.

It is vital that vulnerable residents can be identified and supported as quickly as possible, so that water, food, medication and anything else that is needed can be provided.

I am pleased that the lessons learned from Storm Goretti, and the actions taken by parish councils, National Grid, farmers, Cormac and others, have helped inform this national guidance.

The government will host a Storm Summit in Cornwall this November to plan for greater resilience. I will push the case for Cornwall’s connectivity further. This is a pressing issue in our rural, coastal region, especially with the phase-out of copper wires and poor mobile signal in many areas.

We need to build long-term resilience in the face of climate change. The government has already made good progress on clean power by 2030, with a focus on cheap, homegrown electricity. Community energy projects are being encouraged and supported, and the Warm Homes plan will also help our communities by decarbonising buildings and making households more resilient – with new interest-free loans now available from the government.

I will keep pushing for the support and investment our Cornish communities need to prepare for and respond to the effects of climate change and some of these severe storms we are facing.

For details of the Be Ready campaign, see here - https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/