BBC Breakfast presenters Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt opened Friday's programme with urgent breaking news, detailing the widespread chaos caused by Storm Goretti across the UK.
Major Incident Declared as Storm Batters the UK
The severe weather system, which struck on Thursday, January 8, brought heavy snowfall and recorded wind speeds of up to 99 miles per hour on the Isles of Scilly. Presenter Naga Munchetty informed viewers that a major incident had been declared in Jersey due to the storm's impact.
She explained that a rare red weather warning from the Met Office had caused huge disruption across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly before expiring late on Thursday night.
Widespread Disruption and Ongoing Warnings
Co-presenter Charlie Stayt revealed the storm's significant toll on infrastructure, reporting that nearly 60,000 households across England and Wales had been left without power. He added that an amber warning for snow remained in place on Friday morning for much of the West Midlands, Wales, Gloucestershire, and parts of Yorkshire.
The show then cut to a report from correspondent Greg McKenzie, who presented footage showing the storm's destructive force as it made landfall. "Powerful gusts tore straight across when the storm made landfall yesterday," he reported from Bryher in the Isles of Scilly.
Local Impact and Personal Accounts
The report detailed extensive damage, including roof tiles torn from buildings in Guernsey and roads blocked by fallen trees in Jersey. McKenzie described how winds had "battered the coastline," with waves crashing and debris flying, making travel extremely challenging.
In a personal account from the Isles of Scilly, one local man told BBC Breakfast: "The winds really got up from about 6 o'clock this evening. There's been damage to certain properties here." He also confirmed that the local hospital had lost power, though he hoped the issue was being resolved.
The human cost of the disruption was further highlighted by a woman concerned about her family. "My husband has to get to hospital on Tuesday. On Tuesday, my son's a long way away," she shared. "But this time last week, I would never have thought that this week we would be snowed in."
The programme underscored the severe and ongoing impact of Storm Goretti, with authorities managing the aftermath of the major incident and thousands of households awaiting the restoration of power.
