STORM Emma brought the country to a stand- still last week — but from out of the chaos, community spirit shone through.

Last Thursday and Friday (March 1 and 2) people struggled to get to grips with the blizzard and snow that hit the South West which left many people trapped in their own homes or stranded on the region’s highways.

Emergency services worked around the clock — some even working more than 20 hour shifts — to help members of the public in the freezing conditions.

The A30, A386 and A390 were closed for more than 12 hours due to the main roads being blocked and unsafe to the public, minor roads were dangerous even to walk on, schools and colleges were closed and people were unable to get to work.

Highway teams worked hard to treat the main roads — snow blowers, snow ploughs and gritters worked over a period of 48-hours to clear the A-roads, while moorland areas remained impassable and most minor B roads were blocked with snow drifts of six to eight feet.

But, despite all the trauma the weather caused, the shining light was that local residents from West Devon and East Cornwall pulled together to help those in need.

Police advised that people should avoid all travel during the storm and to only venture out if absolutely necessary and even then should only go out in a 4x4 vehicle — a difficult option for most doctors, nurses and care workers who took to social media to appeal for these much-needed vehicles.

The call was answered by many local residents who volunteered their time to help people get to work or even to rescue people who had become stranded on the roadside.

One couple, Stephanie and Duncan Hobbs from Tavistock, decided to venture out in the blizzard in their 4x4 to help those who might be stranded. Stephanie said: ‘We went to Pork Hill and picked up two people trying to get back to Two Bridge Hotel and on our way back we came across a couple of people who were stuck in their vehicle and we pulled them out.

‘The worst was a prison officer stuck on way to Princetown from Dousland — snow drifts were bonnet high. We got him out and then went back home as it was too dangerous.

‘I would hope people would do the same for us!’

Then, there were those who found other means to get to work — like Chris Hugo, who travelled on skis to get to work at Costa Coffee in Tavistock last Thursday.

Another show of community spirit was when two members of staff at Tavistock’s Co-op visited an 82-year-old woman to make sure she had enough food so she didn’t venture out in the bad weather.

The woman’s daughter-in-law Carolyn Gander thanked the staff: ‘On the first really bad weather day, my mother-in-law had a visit from two girls who work at Brook Street Co-op. They know her as a regular customer and realised that they hadn’t seen her for a couple of days and became concerned. They didn’t want to think of her coming out in the cold weather so they took her some bread, milk and tins of soup.

‘We were all really touched by their kindness and concern.

‘Two years ago, when my father-in-law died, the Co-op staff took over some flowers and a card for mother-in-law too. It surprised us that they know their customers so well, when you think how many people must shop there.’

Most were affected by the extreme weather and probably breathed a sigh of relief when the rain came on Saturday and dissolved the snow. When the snow started to drain away, local councillors praised the actions of people from Devon and Cornwall for their resilience and community spirit.

Cllr Jeffrey Moody, mayor of West Devon, said: ’It has been truly wonderful to see the whole of the West Devon community coming together to cope with the extreme weather conditions over the last week and to keep a smile on their faces while doing so.

‘I’’m particularly proud of all the staff at West Devon Borough Council — because of the council’s new working model, even though the office buildings were closed, over 200 of our staff were able to log on and work remotely to keep vital council services running, including benefit payments.

‘If this sort of weather had hit a few years ago, the council would have struggled to provide services and residents would have been badly affected.’

Cllr Moody added praise to the council’s waste officers and crews. He said they ‘worked extremely hard in difficult freezing conditions to keep up with West Devon waste collections, determined to provide their usual excellent service’.

‘In my view, everyone deserves an award for a job well done.’

Cllr Adam Paynter, from Cornwall Council, said: ‘I would also like to pay special tribute to the commitment of the emergency services, council staff and volunteers who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure people could get home and stay warm.

‘To all of those people who put others first — a heartfelt thank you for your service. From police, the fire and rescue service, paramedics and hospital staff who responded to emergencies, through to those who helped keep the main roads open, looked after our water and power supplies, to those who care for the vulnerable — you all selflessly put yourselves out in appalling conditions to help others.

‘The relentless focus of all services on making sure the public are safe, reassured and cared for is immeasurable.’