Some 45,000 premises remain without electricity ten days after Storm Éowyn, the majority of which are located in the west and northwest of the country and have been “forgotten” according to those affected.
Those who remain without power will progressively have their supply restored “over the course of next week”, according to ESB which said technicians from abroad including from Austria, Finland, France and the UK remain on the ground in the worst affected areas.
They are supporting more than 2,500 local ESB Networks crews and partner contractors who have been bolstered by retirees and colleagues from the south and east of the country.
It comes as a further 20,000 homes remained without broadband on Friday, primarily in Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Donegal, according to Eir, while less than 800 premises remained without water, according to Uisce Éireann.
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Clare Rehill, who lives in Corraleehan just outside Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, has been without power and broadband since the early hours of January 24th, saying the northwest of Ireland has been “forgotten”.
Ms Rehill, who was without water for seven days, is not set to have her power restored until February 4th, she said, adding that while she and tens of thousands of others are living in “dire” situations, “our Government are on holidays”.
[ Storm Éowyn: ‘We were better off 75 years ago before rural electrification’Opens in new window ]
“We’re totally forgotten, most people’s power is restored down the country and we’re just forgotten, it’s day 10 and our power’s not going to be restored until next week,” she said.
Since January 25th, she has been living in a generator-powered caravan at the rear of her house with her two young children, aged three and six.
“It’s been tough, the caravan is very cramped and confined with two small children who you’re trying to keep warm and fed,” she said.
“The Government’s response has been so poor, I know Micheál Martin was in Roscommon earlier in the week but even our local TDs, there’s very few of them who have been vocal and of course, [the Dáil] isn’t sitting currently so to ask a question or even get a response, it’s poor,” she said.
Ms Rehill commended her local community and local councillors who are doing “everything they can”, including sourcing generators for vulnerable residents, though reiterated that it requires a national response, saying a “regional emergency” should be called.
“It’s beyond dire, and living it, it brings home that you may draw a line somewhere in the middle of the country and if you live to the west of that, forget about it, that’s the way we’re feeling,” she said.
In the days following Storm Éowyn, Ms Rehill and other locals had no way of contacting family or friends, including her 73-year-old mother, due to a lack of signal in the area which lasted until Monday morning.
“We got the trees cleared off of my lane and once we were able to drive out to my mother’s house, we realised that she was blocked in on both sides, we had no idea,” she said.
“A former work colleague actually passed away from a heart attack in Ballinamore on the Sunday and the family had huge difficulty in contacting emergency services,” she added.
In December, Ms Rehill lost power for six days and was without water for two weeks after Storm Darragh, before losing water again in January when pipes froze during the cold snap.
She also lost power for four days following Storm Isha in January 2024, however, “this is definitely the longest,” she said.
“This just seems to have become the norm for us and I’m finding it really hard to accept that,” she said.
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