Live Updates: Over 10,000 Midlands Premises Remain Without Power

UK workers are being drafted in to help assess and fix the damage.

Over 10,000 people in the midlands are without power following storm Éowyn. 

Crews are being drafted in from the UK to help restore power to the almost quarter of a million homes and businesses still without electricity.

The ESB says the unprecedented scale of the damage caused by Storm Éowyn means around 100 thousand customers could be waiting until after Friday for outages to be fixed. 

Storm Herminia hampered repairs yesterday.

Regional Operations Manager with ESB Networks, Brain Tapley says every effort is being made to reach those still affected:

Uisce Éireann crews are on the ground across the Midlands today working to restore water supplies. 

Following Storm Éowyn, power outages at treatment plants and pumping stations continue to impact on supplies across Offaly and Westmeath. 

Power outages at pumping stations across the network continue to impact on supplies across the county this afternoon. Supply challenges are being felt in areas fed from the Mullingar Regional Water supply, including, Gaybrook, Gainestown, Enniscoffey, Knockaville, Coralstown, Kinnegad, Killucan, Rathwire, Thomastown, Castletown Geoghan, Kilpatrick, Bunbrosna.

Alternative water supplies are currently available at the following locations: 

Milltownpass at the Mullingar Road junction, Gainestown School carpark, Adamstown, Castletown

In the North of the county customers may be experiencing low water pressure in the following areas: Archerstown, Mulliganstown, Castlepollard, Delvin, Whitehall, Drumacree, Raharney, Mabestown and Coole.

Following storm Éowyn a technical issue has arisen at Toberdaly Water Treatment Plant. Customers in Rhode Village will experience no water or very low pressure. Expert crews have been deployed and it is expected that works will be complete by 5pm on Monday, 27 January, 2025. 

Alternative water supplies are available at the following locations:

Marrion Terrace and Hillside Estate

Following Storm Éowyn, power outages at treatment plants and pumping stations continue to impact on supplies across the county with outages to a number of areas including Daingean, Rhode and Walsh Island.  

Alternative water supplies are available at the following locations: 

Rhode Village : at the community hall on the mount Lucas road, Walsh Island: outside Hoppers Bar and Daingean: outside the old Fire Station on the Square. 

Once power is returned to an area it may take some time for normal water supply to be restored. Customers can go to water.ie and enter their address for details of localised issues and estimated restoration times. 

Locals are being encouraged to use their own containers when taking water from tankers and to boil water before consumption as a precaution. 

In terms of school closures, Castlecuffe N.S in Laois stays closed this morning due to the power outage in Clonaslee.

Laois County Council have opened a Community Response Support Helpline for those effected by the Storm. 

This support line is available from 9:30am to 4:30pm today.

Locals can email incidents@laoiscoco.ie or contact 057 868 9301, while emergency calls must be made to 999 or 112. 

Westmeath County Council's emergency helpline number is 044 9332000.

Westmeath County Council has established its Local Co-ordination Group to manage and co-ordinate the humanitarian response in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn. The Local Co-ordination Group is bringing together the local authority, key agencies and stakeholders in the community to respond to the community need and to assist them to effectively support our communities, particularly our isolated and most vulnerable members. A dedicated Community Support helpline is now available from 9.00am - 4.30pm, Monday to Friday to assist members of the public affected by power outages/lack of services etc., to access non-emergency community supports.

Call: 044 933 8935

Email: wcrf@westmeathcoco.ie

Please have your Eircode to hand when contacting the helpline. For more information, please visit westmeathcoco.ie

Offaly county council out of hours emergencies number is 1800 15 15 15. 

Alan O'Reilly from Carlow Weather spoke with Midlands103's Will Faulkner, about the white substance that seemed to blow around the midlands during the storm: 

Hundreds of trees have been cleared from across the midlands as a result of Storm Éoywn. 

The majority of roads have been cleared by local authority response teams since the Red Weather Warning was lifted on Friday. 

Ann Dillon, Director of Services of Community, and Emergency Services in Offaly County Council, says communities have really stepped up in the wake of the storm:

Director of Services with Laois County Council, Simon Walton, says storm Éowyn will be one to remember for sometime to come:

Director of Services Transportation,Planning, and Economic Development, Jean Ryan says the local authority is still trying to determine how bad the impact is:

Lessons can be learnt by the Government following Storm Eowyn -  that's the view of a Longford-Westmeath TD.

Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has been on the ground helping consituents in the aftermath of the storm in Athlone over the weekend.

While doing so, he observed the ESB could only work within three meters of cables that had fallen on trees.

Deputy Moran says it's a matter for the new Government to address: