Cornwall has taken quite a battering these past few weeks. Storm after storm (including a rare ‘Red’ weather warning), seemingly endless rain, and conditions that have caused real worry for us and many of our customers.
Leaks, blown-off tiles, damaged roofs, fencing down, power cuts, water supplies cut, sewerage overflows. You name it, we’ve seen it.
The American investor Warren Buffet once said that “you only find out who’s been swimming naked when the tide goes out.”
Well, the recent storms pulled the tide back pretty sharply. And I’m pleased to report that at Coastline, everyone was wearing their trunks. What was revealed by the storm was something we should be proud of: the strength, preparation, and professionalism of our teams.
Here are some facts and figures of what we’ve dealt with this month:
- We completed more than 1,700 repairs. This comfortably exceeds our previous record of 1,400 from last January, and in two fewer working days. So a record, albeit not one that we wanted to break!
- In a typical week we take about 750 phone calls. On Friday 9 January (the day after Storm Goretti) we took 669 calls. Another record that we didn’t want to break!
Given the circumstances, it’s inevitable that we’ve ended up with a backlog of repairs. We currently have around 850, compared with our more usual 500.
But here’s the important point: without the way our team responded, without our strong starting position, that backlog would be vastly bigger. And we’re already making progress, at one point the number of outstanding repairs was nearly 1,100.
So I’d like to say a big thank you to the Teams who have been most directly impacted:
- Our repairs teams have been out in conditions that would make most people turn around and head back inside. They’ve made safe, prioritised emergencies, and kept customers supported through what has been a relentless wave of issues. They’ve been flexible in pulling together to help address urgent customer priorities, understanding that it makes sense for us to de-prioritise some other areas of work.
- Our scheduling and planning teams have been juggling rapidly changing workloads, which must feel like playing 3D chess at times.
- Our Customer Access Team has taken extraordinary numbers of calls with calmness, professionalism, and empathy. For many customers, they were the reassuring voice that told them help was on the way.
And to everyone else across Coastline: you were part of this too. Although some teams have been much more directly affected, this period has involved the whole organisation pulling together:
- Housing teams checking in with customers and supporting on the ground, especially where we have vulnerable customers in our Extra Care and Homeless Service teams.
- IT keeping systems stable through huge demand and challenging circumstances.
- Finance, People & Culture, Governance, all ensuring the wheels kept turning.
We’re now working through the remaining repairs as quickly and safely as possible. Our aim is to return to more normal service levels as quickly as we can, although as ever, the weather may have its own view.
But we will face the challenges positively, like a buffalo walking into the storm. While most animals instinctively try to outrun bad weather, buffalo turn towards it and walk straight through, reducing the time they spend in the worst of it. It’s a powerful metaphor for resilience, teamwork, and facing challenges head on.
That’s exactly what Coastline has done over the past few weeks, and what we will continue to do. Not running from the storm, but meeting it with clarity, courage, and collective strength.
Throughout this period of relentless rain and wind, we’ve shown care for customers, commitment to each other, and professionalism in the face of some pretty unpleasant weather.
Coastline is at its best when the pressure is on, and we’ve proved that again this month.
And if anyone does find a way to switch the weather off and on again, please let IT know.