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Storm Éowyn: 715,000 homes without power in Ireland after record gusts hit Storm Éowyn: man killed and 725,000 properties without power in Ireland
(about 5 hours later)
Electricity board says power cut ‘unprecedented’ and worse expected as extreme winds continue to cause damage Record gusts of 113mph recorded, with ‘unprecedented’ power cuts, fallen trees and 130,000 homes without water
More than 725,000 homes are without power in Ireland as Storm Éowyn continues to batter the island of Ireland, with record gusts of 113mph recorded in Galway. A man has been killed and more than 725,000 homes and businesses have been left without power in Ireland after Storm Éowyn battered the country, leaving a trail of destruction.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said the extent of the power cut was “unprecedented” and would only get worse. More than 500,000 homes were at risk of disruption to water supplies, and boil-water notices were issued in several counties. Authorities said it would take more than a week to restore power to all premises.
“We anticipate significant further outages as Storm Éowyn continues to track across the country,” the company said. “Extreme, damaging and destructive winds associated with Storm Éowyn have continued to cause widespread and extensive damage to the electricity network across the country with over 715,000 homes, farms and businesses (as at 8am) without power.” Continuous warnings to stay indoors had resulted in a near lockdown, with schools and offices closed and public transport cancelled for much of the day.
ESB said it could take a week to restore supplies to all homes and premises. One fatality was reported: a driver of a car that was hit by a tree in Raphoe, County Donegal.
The island was under a red weather alert, with Met Éireann warning that the winds, which were moving from the south to the north and east had not reached their strongest yet. The short, sharp lashing meted out by Èowyn was the result of an “explosive cyclogenesis”, John Sweeney, an emeritus professor of geography at Maynooth University, told RTÉ.
It said that the winds of 113mph (183km/h) had been recorded at Mace Head, County Galway, at 5am, just above the previous record high of 182km/h set in January 1945 in Foynes, County Limerick. The rapid deepening of a cyclonic low-pressure area coming across the Atlantic resulted in winds of 113mph (183km/h) recorded at Mace Head, County Galway, at 5am, just above the previous record high of 182km/h set in January 1945 in Foynes, County Limerick.
It also reported that the mean wind speed record of 81mph (131km/h) set in 1945 in Foynes had been broken during the storm, with up to 84mph (135km/h) recorded at Mace Head at 4am. As the storm – which had dissipated by Friday afternoon – moved north, the scale of the damage started to emerge.
The dangerous conditions have prompted authorities to warn people to stay indoors because of risk to life and property from falling trees and flying debris. A €3m “airdome” indoor sports facility ripped from the ground overnight in County Mayo was one of many structural casualties. Fallen trees and electricity wires blocked many roads while 130,000 homes were without water, according to the water authority, Uisce Éireann.
Almost 100,000 homes and premises are without power in Northern Ireland and the storm is also battering other parts of the UK. One Kerry couple said they had a narrow escape after part of the gable wall above their bedroom disappeared in the storm. “We are very lucky that we are alive. If it had fallen inside we would have been buried underneath it. It was just the worst nightmare you can have really,” Jaro Fagan, in Ceann Trá, told RTÉ.
The Electricity Supply Board said it had been in contact with its UK and European counterparts about contingency electricity supplies. “From our experience of previous significant weather events and due to the severity of Storm Éowyn, we expect that power restoration will take a significant number of days and will take more than a week in the worst impacted areas,” it said in a statement.
It said its priority was emergency callouts to make low-hanging wires safe, which meant electricity had to be switched off while repairs were done.
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In some places trees were blocking roads. One passenger who tried their luck heading to Shannon airport for a flight that was cancelled told RTÉ the motorway was deserted apart from fallen branches everywhere. By lunchtime 725,000 properties were without power in the country with another 283,000 suffering outages in Northern Ireland.
Emergency services were on high alert and Ireland was preparing for a virtual standstill on Friday, with airports, schools, parks and offices to close and public transport cancelled during the peak hours of Storm Éowyn. Emergency services were on high alert throughout the day as people heeded the warnings to stay indoors, helped by the decision to close schools, parks and offices and cancel public transport during the peak of the storm.
Keith Leonard, the chair of the national emergency coordination group, said the storm would be one of the most dangerous to hit Ireland. “We expect this storm to be destructive, dangerous and disruptive. We can expect [gusts] greater than 130km/h inland, which is very, very unusual. It is going to be a damaging, dangerous and destructive weather event.” The most dangerous recorded storm in Irish history was Hurricane Debbie. This was not an Atlantic storm but a rare tropical cyclone, which struck on 16 September 1961, causing 18 deaths in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland.
He said the winds would bring severe conditions, which would pose a risk to life and property.
The public have been warned to stay at home, to avoid the coast and to have phones and torches fully charged. The ESB said extensive damage to electricity infrastructure and widespread power outages were expected.
“We are likely to see significant and widespread power outages, so I would encourage everyone to prepare ahead. Make sure phones, torches and laptops are fully charged. Ensure that there are no loose garden furniture or other items on your property that could cause problems in strong winds,” Leonard said.
The number of people losing power already tops the 385,000 figure from Storm Ophelia in 2017. “Our most important message today is that everybody needs to shelter in place for the duration of all red warnings,” said Leonard.
The most dangerous recorded storm in Irish history was Hurricane Debbie. This was not an Atlantic storm but a rare tropical cyclone, which struck Ireland on 16 September 1961. It caused 18 deaths in the Republic of Ireland and six in Northern Ireland.