Thousands have been left without power following 100mph winds hitting parts of northern England and Scotland, ripping down power lines, uprooting trees and causing debris blockages on roads.
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Storm Arwen has resulted in the army being deployed in order to help the communities affected by the extreme weather events.
Thousands have been left without power following 100mph winds hitting parts of northern England and Scotland, ripping down power lines, uprooting trees and causing debris blockages on roads.
Armed forces minister James Heappey has announced 134 soldiers and marines will be deployed in the Grampian area, with the aim of reaching around 4,000 people.
The soldiers will work in teams of 10 in order to offer reassurance to 12 villages who have been cut off following the storm.
Conservative Member of Scottish Parliament Alex Burnett tweeted: "They [military personnel] will check on vulnerable people in their homes and conduct door-to-door checks."
"Please do not hesitate to message me or email if you or someone you know needs assistance."
The Aberdeenshire Council said in a statement, "Following a formal approach to the UK Government for assistance, around 120 military personnel will be arriving in Aberdeenshire this morning to support our ongoing resilience efforts in the aftermath of Storm Arwen."
“Troops will focus on welfare checks on the ground within communities still impacted by loss of power.”
The local authority said on Twitter that the military support will supplement the actions of the council and praised those offering community assistance.
It added: “Rest assured we continue to work tirelessly to provide the support our communities need at this challenging time.”
Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN) said in its latest update that as of noon on Thursday, 3,100 customers remain off supply, while more than 125,000 have had power restored.
There are also around 300 still without power in Angus, around 200 each in Moray and Perthshire and some 25 in Stirlingshire.
SSEN said it aims to restore power to the vast majority of homes still affected by Friday, subject to no new damage being identified or unforeseen challenges.
But the firm said “small pockets of customers on SSEN’s low voltage network in Aberdeenshire will not be reconnected until Saturday”.
The company plans to contact these customers to offer support, including accommodation.
Mark Rough, SSEN operations director, said: “As Aberdeenshire is the main area which continues to be impacted by Storm Arwen, when power is restored to customers in other regions we are redeploying additional resources to support restoration efforts, as well as enhancing welfare provisions in the region.
“Due to the extent of damage on the low voltage network, particularly to single premises, some customers in Aberdeenshire will regrettably remain off supply until Saturday and our teams will proactively contact those customers to offer whatever support is required.
“I would like to reassure all customers still off supply that our teams are doing everything they can to restore power as quickly as possible and would once again like to apologise for everyone who has experienced a loss of supply as a result of Storm Arwen.”
Meanwhile, the National Trust for Scotland has said the weather has had a “devastating” impact on wildlife and trees.
About 800 seal pups are feared to have died at its Berwickshire site as a result of the storm.
At Castle Fraser, about 200 trees are down and the Pittendreigh wood at Leith Hall has been badly damaged, with estate trails at Crathes Castle, Haddo House and Brodie Castle also blocked.
People are asked to stay away from the properties until they are made safe.
In the south-west, Culzean Country Park and Threave Estate also lost trees, causing some damage to buildings including the 19th century pagoda at Culzean.
At the Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve a project to repair its historic Victorian bridge has been set back due to damage caused by the high winds.
