Storm Éowyn leaves 38,000 homes and businesses across Donegal without power

Around 38,000 homes and businesses across Donegal are without power with the county in a status red warning for wind due to Storm Éowyn which is in place until 2pm.

The worst-hit parts of the county are the Milford area, where around 9,500 homes and businesses are affected, and Donegal Town, where about 6,000 customers are without power. The ESB said there are around 5,000 customers without power in Bundoran, 2,700 in Dungloe, 2,670 in Stranorlar and 2,000 in Ballyshannon.

The utility says that due to the “unprecedented” impact of Storm Éowyn, it is expected that power restoration nationally will take “a significant number of days”.

As of 8am, 715,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power and there is “unprecedented, widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure”.

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“We anticipate significant further outages as Storm Éowyn continues to track across the country,” an ESB spokesman said.
The public is being warned never to touch or approach fallen wires but to report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999 .

“With Met Éireann status red and orange wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until later this afternoon, more power outages can be expected throughout the day as the storm tracks northwards,” the spokesman added.

“At current numbers, the damage to the electricity network and impact on customers has been unprecedented. ESB Networks continue to closely monitor the storm impact on power supplies and all available resources stand ready to mobilise once safe to do so. 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.”