OVER 25,000 homes, businesses and schools remain without power, 11 days on from Storm Eowyn.
ESB Networks have confirmed that approximately 25,000 homes, farms, schools and businesses are still without power, while around 400 premises have no water.
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group’s latest update said restoration works are continuing on the worst impacted areas.
This is being aided by crews from Austria, Finland, France, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
ESB’s Regional Manager Siobhán Wynne told RTE’s News at One that the number of schools without power should be smaller by tomorrow.
She said there are around 150 schools still impacted, with the figure “greatly reduced this morning”.
She said: “We are hopeful that as of tomorrow morning, it will only be a small number of schools that will be impacted.”
However, she noted that it is currently difficult to give an exact date as to when all customers will see a restoration.
She added that she expects this could be by the middle of the week.
She said: “In the coming days after that, we will restore power to the remaining customers by the end of this week.”
Sligo, Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford and Roscommon have been confirmed to be the worst-hit areas in Ireland, all with areas without power.
And dozens of customers in the worst-hit areas of the country have been left furious by the lack of power as we approach day 12.
One said: “I still have no power and the trees that pulled down the ESB lines haven’t even been removed yet!
“A whole forest down behind me!! God knows when it’ll be sorted!”
Another said: “12 days after a storm and Kildare still has intermittent power cuts of three hours long and no reason given by ESB networks or any pre warning.
‘NOT GOOD ENOUGH’
“This is like a third world country as your customers, it’s not good enough at all!
A third said: “Day 11. No electricity. No phone reception. No Internet. And not a single ESB worker to be seen in the area in literally the entire 11 days.”
Another added: “We’re still out of power and water and the esb guys literally told us we aren’t priority so not to expect it back before Friday.”
In Northern Ireland, electricity supplier NIE Networks said there are now less than 1,000 people without power, most located in Co Fermanagh.
They said all power supply should be back tonight.
It is estimated that it could be the end of the week before power is fully restored to the outstanding affected customers in the 26 counties.
