Disruption to electricity and water supplies will continue over the coming days as utility providers attempt to repair the damage caused by Storm Darragh.
ESB Networks said some 55,000 customers remained without power as of 5pm on Sunday, with crews and contractors working to restore connections to as many homes as possible. A total of 395,000 properties had been cut off by the storm.
A spokesman for the company said there had been “widespread and extensive damage” to the network and “significant numbers” may be without supply for a number of days or up to a week in some cases.
“The impact is nationwide but some of the most affected areas are in the northwest, midlands and southeast,” he said.
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ESB Networks said crews from its French counterpart, Enedis, were sailing overnight and due to arrive on Monday to “assist with power restoration in the worst impacted areas”.
“We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will remain without power, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power.”
ESB Networks advised anybody who uses electrically powered medical devices to contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements, if necessary. It also warned against going anywhere near fallen wires as they could be live and extremely dangerous.
Uisce Éireann said it had restored water supplies to 40,000 customers since Saturday. However, there are a number of locations where issues will take longer to address as a result of ongoing power outages impacting treatment plants and pumping stations.
The utility company said affected areas included Manorcunningham and Letterkenny in Co Donegal; Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim; Longford town; Trim in Co Meath and parts of north Cork around Kanturk and Newmarket. In some instances, it said, repairs have been complicated by bursts on the network, which may take longer to repair.
Some local roads remained impassible on Sunday due to fallen trees and Stena Line and Irish Ferries sailings on the Irish Sea were cancelled. Some sailings due to depart on Monday remain in doubt and intending passengers are advised to contact their ferry operator in advance of their departure.
In Britain, two people died on Saturday when they were struck by falling trees. The first man was fatally injured when a tree fell on the van he was driving near Preston, Lancashire. A second man was killed when a tree fell on his car in Birmingham.
Schedules at Dublin and Cork airports are returning to normal but a number of flights, particularly from Britain, are delayed. In Co Antrim, a bus driver was taken to hospital after the Belfast International Airport bus he was driving struck a wall.
A loyalist mural in north Belfast was destroyed by the storm. The UVF display, which stood in Mount Vernon for years, featured two armed paramilitaries and the words ‘prepared for peace, ready for war’.
Northern Ireland Electricity said about 15,000 homes and businesses remained without power on Sunday morning with some possibly not being reconnected for a number of days.
At the storm’s peak on Friday night, winds of 111km/h were recorded at Mace Head, Co Galway with gusts reaching 141km/h. These were the strongest winds recorded in Ireland since Storm Ellen in August 2020.
Wind gust speeds of 124km/h were recorded at Knock airport in Co Mayo, while they reached 122km/h at Roches Point and Sherkin Island in Co Cork; 120km/h at Shannon Airport in Co Clare, 115km/h at Cork Airport and 113km/h at Dublin Airport.
Met Éireann said Sunday would be a dry and breezy for the most part, with plenty of sunshine. Highest temperatures of six to nine degrees are forecast. Conditions are to remain dry in most areas overnight, though there is a chance of showers in south Leinster. It will be a cold night with frost expected to develop widely and temerperatures to fall to between minus 2 and three degrees.
Frost is to clear quickly on Monday, which is to be a dry and sunny day across much of the country. There will be more in the way of cloud across parts of east Leinster, with one or two showers possible. Highest afternoon temperatures of five to nine degrees are forecast in light to moderate northerly breezes.
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