Wind and rain warnings were in effect for several counties after Storm Amy caused damage and disruption around the country on Friday.
The “majority” of those who do not have their power restored on Saturday will have supply back by Sunday night, ESB has said, though some may be without power until early next week.
Main points
- About 49,000 homes, farms and business remained without power around Ireland as of noon
- Those in the worst-affected areas, including Donegal, may not have power restored until early next week
- An estimated 4,000 homes are without water in Donegal, according to Uisce Éireann
- A man is his 40s died during a storm-related incident in Letterkenny after falling from a shed roof
- A new provisional wind speed record was set in Northern Ireland with a gust of 148km/h.
Key reads
- Storm aftermath leaves one dead and thousands without power
- Friday’s disruption as it happened
- How Atlantic Hurricane Humberto becomes Ireland’s Storm Amy
Anthony Skeffington, Uisce Éireann’s regional operations manager for the northwest, urged those in affected areas to conserve water where possible to protect supply during outages.
Most properties should have adequate storage for hygiene purposes for at least 24 hours, he said.
Crews have mobilised to maintain and restore water supplies to those affected, he added.
“Where necessary we have deployed mobile and fixed generators to restore power and restore plants to production,” he said.
About 4,000 homes without water in Co Donegal
An estimated 4,000 homes are without water across Co Donegal, according to Uisce Éireann.
Most plants and networks across the country are operating as expected, it said, though there has been some disruption due to heavy rains impacting raw water quality.
Power outages have also affected water and wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations and “other network assets”, it said.
“The focus is now mainly on Donegal where the impacts of the storm have been greatest, we estimate that 4,000 homes in the county may be without water and are working to restore supply as quickly as possible,” it said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.
Some in worst-affected areas may be without power until early next week
Some customers in the worst-affected areas may be without power until early next week, ESB said.
“This is likely to include some customers in Donegal, which saw the highest wind speeds recorded during Storm Amy, and in areas across the northwest,” it said.
“We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes and thank impacted customers for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power,” it said
More than two-thirds of customers who lost power due to Storm Amy have had their supply restored, ESB said.
It added that it expects to “continue to make significant progress”.
49,000 properties remain without power
About 49,000 homes and businesses remain without power as of noon on Saturday, according to ESB, which said some households may not have power restored until Sunday night.
Properties affected are predominantly in counties Donegal, Leitrim, Roscommon, Galway and Mayo.
ESB said crews are continuing to work to restore power “in difficult conditions”.
“We expect that the majority of customers who do not have their power restored today will have supply back by tomorrow night,” it said.
The line between Dundalk and Belfast has now reopened with services resuming from Connolly Station just before noon.
“Services operating between these stations may experience delays as a result of the closure and operating at a reduced speed,” Irish Rail said.
Some services on the Dart network are operating with delays due to “poor rail conditions”, according to Irish Rail.
Services from Dublin to Belfast are operating between Dublin and Dundalk only due to fallen trees on the line at multiple locations.
No bus transfers are operating between Dundalk and Belfast with passengers being advised to seek “alternative arrangements.”
Cross border services between Dublin and Belfast are not expected to recommence until noon.
In Co Donegal, which has borne the brunt of Storm Amy, fallen trees have blocked or partially blocked some roads across the county, Donegal County Council has said.
Crews are currently dealing with the blockages on a “priority basis”, it said.
“While the majority of our main roads are passable, the public are advised to be mindful of fallen debris and surface water posing difficult driving conditions,” the council said in a statement.
It reiterated ESB’s warning not to touch or approach fallen wires or damaged electricity infrastructure as they are “live and extremely dangerous.”
The council urged members of the public to avoid coastal areas during the status yellow wind and rain warning, which lapses at noon on Saturday.
Provisional data shows the highest wind gust reached 148km/h on Friday in Malin Head, Co Donegal, according to Met Éireann.
Man who died in Co Donegal fell from shed roof during red weather warning
A man who died following a weather-related tragedy in Co Donegal yesterday has been named locally as Tommy Connors.
It is understood Mr Connors, who was aged in his 40s and from Letterkenny, died after falling from a shed roof, Stephen Maguire reports.
The tragedy happened during the status red weather warning at around 4.15pm on Friday afternoon.
It is understood Mr Connors died at the scene of the incident at a house.
His body was then removed to the morgue at Letterkenny University Hospital where a postmortem examination will be carried out in due course.
Gardaí continue to carry out enquiries and say the results of the postmortem will determine the course of those enquiries.
A file will be prepared for the Coroner, a spokesperson added.
Tributes are being paid across social media for the late Mr Connors who was well-known in the Letterkenny area.
Overall, Saturday is set to see “strong and gusty” winds while rain currently spanning the northern half of the country will move southwards, Met Éireann said.
Rain will become heavy at times, with isolated thunderstorms possible. Sunshine and showers are likely before and after spells of rain, the forecaster said, with highest temperatures of 12 to 14 degrees.
Showers will become isolated on Saturday night, with gusty winds gradually decreasing.
Met Éireann has advised of potentially difficult travelling conditions, debris, loose objects displaced and some fallen trees in Dublin, Louth and Wicklow.
A status yellow wind warning is in place until noon on Saturday for these counties, alongside Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo.
A status yellow wind and rain warning is in effect for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo, also until noon, which warns of similar effects alongside possible localised flooding.
As of 8.45am, about 87,000 homes, farms and business remained without power around Ireland, according to an ESB spokesman.
Dublin Airport said 20 flights had been cancelled by airlines due to the conditions.
“In addition, some outbound and inbound flights are experiencing delays as a result of the weather issues here and at other airports.
“Wind speeds are due to decrease gradually through the day and most airlines expect to run full schedules.
“However, with further disruption possible, passengers due to fly today should keep in touch with their airline for latest updates on the status of their flight.”
The status orange wind warning for counties Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo expired at 8am. The orange-level storm warning on the northwest coast also ended at 8am.
Status yellow wind and rain warnings remain in place for those three counties until noon. Status yellow wind warnings also in effect for Dublin, Louth, Wicklow, Clare, Kerry, Galway and Mayo, as well as much of Northern Ireland.
UK braced for further disruption
Storm Amy is expected to cause further disruption across the UK, with more heavy rain and strong winds forecast.
Weather warnings covering the whole of the UK are in place on Saturday and include alerts for both wind and rain, the Met Office said, after winds of up to 100mph were forecast for Friday evening.
It comes after some schools in Northern Ireland closed early, ferry sailings from the west of Scotland were cancelled and train services in northern Scotland were affected on Friday.
ScotRail anticipates that some disruption to services will extend into Saturday, and possibly Sunday, while Network Rail carries out safety checks for obstructions on the line and damage to any infrastructure.
An amber alert for wind is in place on Saturday all day until 9pm covering northern Scotland including Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands and the Orkney Islands where gusts of up to 85mph are expected, the forecaster said.
A yellow warning for wind is in place for all day Saturday until midnight for Northern Ireland, where gusts of up to 70mph are expected, while a yellow alert for rain is in place for the same area between 11am and 12pm.
The Met Office has also issued another yellow alert for wind which covers the whole of southern England and stretches up into the Midlands and Wales from midnight until 7pm, while a separate yellow alert for wind covers the rest of England, Wales and Scotland and is in place from 3pm until midnight.
Another yellow warning for rain, covering western Scotland, is in place from 12pm until midnight.
In the alert areas, the Met Office said power cuts, travel disruption and flooding may occur while strong winds may cause injuries and danger to life because of lying debris. — PA
Some images of the damage and disruption caused yesterday
Irish Rail has said due to the storm Dublin-Belfast services will operate between Dublin and Dundalk only this morning.
An update from Met Éireann:
By 8.45pm on Friday evening, 124,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power, predominantly in counties Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Donegal. Thousands of homes in Donegal communities, Buncrana, Milford and Derrybeg, lost power.
ESB Networks crews and partner contractors were deployed to assess the damage, make the network safe and restore electricity supply.
“Our crews will continue the restoration for as long as possible this evening but ... it is likely that the majority of customers will not have their power restored [on Friday night],” said an ESB spokesman.
A man in his 40s died during a storm-related incident in Letterkenny, Co Donegal on Friday.
Gardaí and emergency services attended the scene at a house about 4.15pm.
His body was removed to the morgue at Letterkenny University Hospital, where a postmortem will be carried out.
Inquiries into the incident are ongoing and a file will be prepared for the coroner.
Co Donegal had been hit particularly hard by the storm, with Met Éireann issuing a red wind weather warning for the county from 4pm to 6pm.
