HUNDREDS of homes in south and west Lochaber remain without power this morning after hurricane force winds ripped through the West Highlands yesterday.
Ardgour,Corran,Onich and North Ballachulish residents have been without electricity since 12.30pm yesterday,when large parts of the region were blacked out.
Power was restored to Fort William around 4.45pm yesterday.
Meanwhile,engineers are currently reviewing the stability of the hillside above the A82 north of the Corran Ferry to see whether the lifeline route can be reopened. The road was completely closed at lunchtime yesterday by a minor landslip.
Latest reports suggest the route could open for a short period this morning,but there are no guarantees it could remain open to allow people working in Fort William to get home this evening.
The A82 is due to be closed from 10pm tonight to 6am on Monday morning to allow engineers to bring down a dangerous crag only yards from the landslip site.
Sources close to the scene told The Oban Times this morning the landslip happened after trees on the steep slope were blown over and dislodged material onto the carriageway.
Elsewhere,static caravans were blown over at Bunree Caravan Park,which this morning was littered by debris from the storm.
Winds of 105mph were recorded at Tulloch Bridge –equivalent to a strong Force 2 hurricane.
It’s mostly business as usual in Argyll and Bute this morning.
Most schools are open again,although a handful remain closed due to power failures and some have since closed because to snow.
All social work and care services are back to normal after operating a reduced service yesterday.
Bin collections will resume today and any missed collections from Thursday will be caught up over the coming days.
Roads teams are continuing to clear up debris from floods and fallen trees,with all major routes re-opened. Gritting teams are also in action as snow replaces high winds.
Libraries and leisure centres have reopened,along with most council offices,some of which closed early yesterday and council-operated ferry services have resumed.
See video of the storm in Oban here
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