Sister’s tribute to ‘kind family’ man killed by falling tree in Storm Goretti

The sister of the only victim of Storm Goretti has spoken of her devastation.

James Southey, 50, was killed when a tree fell pn to his caravan in hurricane force winds in Mawgan, Cornwall on Thursday.

Emergency services were called to the remote farm and work took place on Friday to remove the tree.

Posting on Facebook, she wrote: ‘Absolutely devastated to share the tragic news of the death of my brother James. We are all in shock and struggling to come to terms with this very sad news.

‘Never in a million years years do you expect that knock on the door to be for you. He was a gentle giant who would do anything for anyone. We will miss him dearly.

‘Thank you for all your support and kind words.’

A local told Cornwall Live: ‘I’ve seen him before and I’ve said hello, but I didn’t know him personally.

‘He was a lovely bloke – quiet but happy. I believe he has two children, he lived alone in his caravan. I do know that he loved his caravan, loved being there.’

Another friend posted on Facebook: ‘James was such a gentle kind family man, with a lot of love to share. How missed he will be.’

Elsewhere in the UK, the aftermath of Storm Goretti led to flood warnings as a result of melting snow and heavy rain.

The storm brought gusts of almost 100mph and a rare red warning for ‘dangerous, stormy’ winds in the south-west of England.

More than 12,000 properties were still without power on Sunday evening following the storm, according to the National Grid’s website, while National Rail warned disruption to train travel is possible until Monday.