GAP Pumps & Power – Emergency Response to Storm Eowyn

When Storm Eowyn, described as the strongest storm to hit the UK in a decade, caused devastation across the British Isles, GAP Pumps & Power played a critical role in emergency response, providing essential power solutions to affected communities and infrastructure. In addition, we worked closely with United Utilities to ensure vital water and wastewater services remained operational. Despite widespread power failures, our support helped maintain essential infrastructure and minimise disruption.

Storm Eowyn brought gusts exceeding 100mph, leaving nearly one million properties without power and causing severe disruption to road and rail networks. With extensive damage reported across Scotland and other parts of the UK, immediate action was needed to restore essential services and support recovery efforts. United Utilities, responsible for providing water services to millions, faced significant operational challenges due to the power disruptions affecting water treatment and pumping stations.

GAP Pumps & Power quickly mobilised to provide power solutions in the most severely impacted areas. Our response included:

• Deployment of 67 generators, ranging from 20kVA to 500kVA, ensuring critical power supply for homes, businesses and emergency services
• Round-the-clock operations with a team of 15 dedicated staff working tirelessly from Friday 24^th to Tuesday 28^th January, providing 24/7 support
• A total of 1,072 man-hours worked, ensuring rapid installation and maintenance of emergency power solutions
• 24,000 litres of diesel supplied to keep United Utilities’ emergency generators running and prevent further disruption

By delivering critical power solutions in record time, GAP Pumps & Power helped mitigate the effects of the storm and supported recovery efforts in multiple regions. Despite challenging conditions with changing scenarios and unpredictable weather conditions, our efforts contributed to:

• Restoring power to critical infrastructure and homes affected by widespread outages
• Supporting emergency services dealing with almost 1,900 weather-related incidents reported by Police Scotland
• Assisting Network Rail, which logged nearly 400 damage incidents, including downed trees and damaged overhead lines
• Clearing over 1,800 roadblocks caused by fallen trees, branches and other debris helping reopen key transport routes
• Ensuring United Utilities could maintain water supply and wastewater management services during the crisis

Christopher Ingham, Waste Services Manager, at Untied Utilities passed on feedback to GAP, following the storm relief, “I just wanted to pass on my thanks to you and your team for all your help and support this weekend on the adverse weather incident. It's often easy to reflect on things and focus on what didn't work well and we forget to actually appreciate what was actually achieved. Personally, I think our teams and the teams of our contract partners put monumental effort in, in very challenging circumstances. I really appreciated all the efforts that you and the team at GAP put in to support us in an ever-changing set of circumstances and with demands coming in from all areas. Please pass on to your team a big thank you from me and I know other colleagues in Wastewater (my business area) as well as Water teams also appreciate all the support that GAP provided them this weekend.”

GAP Pumps and Power’s rapid deployment, expert team and extensive fleet of generators played a crucial role in the UK’s emergency response to Storm Eowyn. Our commitment to delivering reliable power solutions in times of crisis demonstrates GAP’s dedication to supporting communities and businesses when they need it most. The partnership with United Utilities further underscores our capability to protect vital infrastructure and ensure essential services continue in the face of extreme weather events.

For more information about GAP Pumps & Power and our emergency response services, contact us at pump.services@gap-group.co.uk