Storm Goretti is forecast to bring hurricane force winds

Storm Goretti is due to peak at 9pm and continue through to the early hours of tomorrow morning. The Met Office is predicting gale force 12 90mph winds, accompanied by heavy rain.

States officials met yesterday afternoon to put crisis plans in place and were awaiting a forecast this morning before publishing final advice.

With the impact of Storm Ciaran, which hit the island on 1 November 2023, still fresh in the memory, many will be spending today preparing for Goretti to hit.

Ric David from Guernsey Tree Services said it had taken his team six months to clear up after Ciaran.

‘First thing today we are making a tree safe in the Vale that has a crack in it and could fall on a house in the high winds,’ he said.

‘After that it’s a case of clearing the schedule for Friday and the weekend and seeing what the dawn brings.

‘I have seen some predictions exceeding 100mph.’

Ciaran peaked at a top speed of 78mph, although Jersey, less than 20 miles away, was battered by winds exceeding 104mph.

One of the worst-affected buildings then was Lihou House, which was closed for over a year due to storm damage.

Warden Steve Sarre was yesterday screwing doors shut and packing away garden furniture.

‘After that there’s not much you can do apart from cross your fingers and hope,’ he said.

‘I was planning to be out here for the storm but I’ve now been advised its not safe. I’ll have to wait till Friday lunchtime to see what damage has been done. Even then, with the wind forecast, the causeway might not be open as it’s the last day of opening, and if that’s the case I won’t be able to get across the causeway until the 17th.’

People advised to stay at home tonight for their own safety

A States spokesman said they were expecting to ask people to stay at home tonight for their own safety.

‘If you currently have plans, it is worth considering rearranging them,’ he said. ‘Events taking place on States sites are likely to be cancelled. We’d also ask people to secure their properties – check their gardens for anything that needs to be secured to reduce the risk of flying debris.’

He added that islanders with boats should check and secure their moorings ahead of the storm and that bus services would finish early today, with winds predicted to pick up from 6pm.

Brittany Ferries has already cancelled a number of services. Portsmouth to Guernsey today has been cancelled as the Islander will be staying in Portsmouth for the duration of the storm. All of tomorrow’s Voyager sailings to and from St Malo have also been cancelled.

Aurigny cancels flights tonight as Ports decides to close airports

Aurigny and Guernsey Ports last night agreed to suspend all flight operations between 6pm tonight and 8.30am tomorrow in Guernsey and Alderney.

Both parties said that they had been closely monitoring forecasts and assessing predicted wind speeds against safe operational limits.

The airline has contacted all those affected by a cancellation, and is reaccommodating everyone free of charge to the next available service, or they can claim a full refund.

‘Aurigny will always aim to operate its services in the spirit of bringing people home, but safety will always be our first priority,’ said chief operations officer Philip Smallwood.

‘The high degree of certainty in the forecast means we, along with our partners at Guernsey Ports, are taking the appropriate steps now to provide certainty and keep everyone safe.’

One person who grabbed the attention of the public during Storm Ciaran, was Daniel Bourgaize, from YouTube channel Inglorious Fishing.

He live-streamed himself driving around the island showing the storm damage.

With his catch line of ‘total devastation’, Mr Bourgaize confirmed in the comments of a social media post that he would be out and about again on Thursday night, but said he would be more careful than last time.