Thousands of people remain without power after Storm Darragh swept across Ireland overnight with gusts exceeding 140km/h in some areas.
The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), Met Éireann and other stakeholders met on Saturday morning to discuss the damage caused by the storm, which was described as having a greater impact than ex-hurricane Ophelia in 2017.
ESB Networks confirmed that about 395,000 homes and businesses were without electricity at 7am on Saturday morning as a result of the storm.
That number had dropped to 325,000 customers by 11.30am but full restoration is expected to take several days.
Met Éireann recorded gusts of 141km/h at Mace Head in Co Galway at 11pm on Friday night, while gusts of 120km/h were recorded at Shannon, Co Clare, and gusts of 115km/h were reported in Co Cork.
While the brunt of the storm has passed, Met Éireann said Storm Darragh will continue to bring very windy or stormy conditions on Saturday with winds gradually moderating during the afternoon.
A status yellow warning for wind will remain in effect for all of the Republic until 3pm.
Impacts from the storm include disruption to ferry, bus and rail services. There may also be some delays at airports. Those planning to travel on Saturday are advised to check transport websites in advance.
Over 370,000 homes & businesses without power across Ireland after #StormDarragh. Thank you to ESB crews working to restore power. This is major work & will take some time to be fully completed. Other agencies will assist where appropriate too & met this morning to plan that work
Advertisement— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) December 7, 2024
Taoiseach Simon Harris thanked ESB crews for their work to restore power to homes after the storm.
In a post on X, Mr Harris said: “This is major work & will take some time to be fully completed. Other agencies will assist where appropriate too & met this morning to plan that work.”
ESB teams are out repairing damage to the network with the assistance of the Defence Forces.
An ESB spokesperson said their crews and partner contractors began mobilising from early on Saturday morning to assess the damage, make the network safe and restore electricity supply where it was safe to do so.
“With Met Éireann wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until this afternoon, further power outages can be expected from potentially damaging gusts,” they added.
“Given the extent of the storm, estimated restoration times will be updated throughout the day as fault sites are assessed and restoration work progresses – these will be available on www.PowerCheck.ie.”
Uisce Éireann has asked customers to conserve water in the areas which have been impacted by power outages.
Keith Leonard, national director of the NDFEM, urged the public to continue to take care in the aftermath of the storm.
“Thankfully, Storm Darragh has passed and the dangers posed by very strong winds has passed,” he said in a statement.
“Motorists should take extra care as there are fallen trees reported all across the country with many roads closed. Ideally, I would advise drivers not to travel today unless necessary and to check your route in advance if you have to head out.”
“With a yellow wind warning still in place, I would also urge the public to continue to stay away from coastal areas during this period and to heed the appeal from the Irish Coast Guard for people to ‘Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry’.”
In the North, Northern Ireland Electricity said about 46,000 customers were without power on Saturday morning following a night of high winds.
It said damage including broken overhead power lines, fallen trees across lines and broken poles will require repair work expected to continue into Sunday.
A bus was involved in a road crash in Co Antrim in the early hours of Saturday, while Stena Line ferry services from Belfast to Cairnryan in Scotland have been cancelled.
A ferry remained off the coast of Co Antrim on Saturday, believed to have been hampered by weather conditions.
A number of roads in the North, including Castle Street in Belfast city centre, were closed on Saturday morning while clean up work was carried out after storm damage.
Public transport company Translink said on social media: “Due to poor weather conditions all Goldliner services (including Dublin/@DublinAirport and @BelfastAirport buses) and rail services (including Enterprise services) are suspended until further notice.”
The Belfast Christmas Market is not expected to open on Saturday, depending on weather conditions, with organisers saying they need to ensure visitors and traders are kept safe.
The Met Office has issued an amber wind warning covering the whole region from 1am on Saturday to 9pm.
A yellow warning for wind in Northern Ireland on will expire at 6am on Sunday.
