Last week’s tornado in Stalybridge was a frightening reminder of how everything can change in one unexpected moment. For the families worst affected, the place they call home is now sadly in need of major repair. For many more affected to a lesser extent, expense, frustration and inconvenience replaced Christmas cheer.

For anyone who witnessed wheelie bins flying at a hundred miles an hour, trees tumbling like Jenga blocks and chimneys cascading from terrace rooves, the miracle that no human life was lost is astounding. Whether you were asleep when it happened or up and about, the whole area had a gigantic “what on on earth” moment with the sheer noise of the sudden force of the winds. My first reaction was that something must have exploded in our kitchen. My wife Claire was out having a Christmas drink with a friend in Stalybridge and I texted her to stay put until it had calmed.

The scale of the damage of those few short minutes was devastating. Several hundred trees came down, hundreds of homes were damaged, twenty three Dangerous Building Notices issued and ten properties were deemed unfit for occupation. Thank you to the emergency responders who put them selves at risk controlling the situation in the immediate aftermath, and council staff (from Tameside and also neighbouring boroughs Oldham and Stockport) who gave up their booked annual leave to fell trees, clear roads, repair street lights, etc. Over a thousand calls were made to the councils emergency line in the 24 hours following the storm.

I would particularly like to thank my own Office Manager who has given up her own hard-earned leave to do a tremendous job helping me support residents, especially in intervening where people’s insurers gave inadequate responses.

I would also like to thank our contacts at the Association of British Insurers for being extremely helpful in getting faster and fuller insurance responses for residents. I meet with trade bodies like the ABI year round and it is times like this having invested in those relationships really pays off.

Sadly, fourteen and a half years of handling local casework as your MP, including through flooding, moor fires and drainage issues, have taught me the importance of buildings being adequately insured. Although the cost of living continues to bite, I would even advocate that residents invest in extras like legal cover. You never know when it might be the thing that prevents an incident becoming a personal disaster.

My thoughts continue to be with every household affected.