180000 without power in Ireland
180000 customers are without power in the Republic of Ireland, as crews continue to repair damage to the electricity network caused by Storm Éowyn.
Image for illustration purposes. (Image credit: D. Ribeiro/Shutterstock.com)
Ireland, Dublin: 180000 customers are without power in the Republic of Ireland, as crews continue to repair damage to the electricity network caused by Storm Éowyn. The storm brought record wind speeds on Friday, with Irish weather service Met Éireann recording 183 km/h in Mace Head, County Galway.
ESB Networks said about 180000 are without power three days after the storm hit, and it could be Friday before the vast majority of those will have their power restored. 74000 customers are without water, with a further 70000 at risk due to power losses at water treatment plants.
Margaret Attridge of Uisce Éireann said that most of those without water are on the west coast of the country, including in counties Clare, Galway, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan and Meath. Galway is the worst hit, with about 22000 people without access to water. She added that additional generators have been secured to help return power to treatment plants.
Work has been ongoing throughout the weekend to help the clean-up operation. During its peak, about 768000 people were without power. A 20-year-old man died in the early hours of Friday morning after a tree fell on his car in County Donegal
On Saturday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the destruction caused by some of the strongest winds on record was unprecedented, while Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Simon Harris confirmed that the Irish Defence Forces are providing helicopters to help ESB Networks restore power.
Source: BBC
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