Additional engineers are helping to restore electricity in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic following the destruction caused by Storm Eowyn.
At 4.30pm on Saturday around 140,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Northern Ireland following the storm, which saw strong winds batter the region from the early hours of Friday amid a top-level red weather warning.
Stormont Economy Minister Conor Murphy said additional engineers had been secured from Great Britain through established mutual aid agreements.
He said 52 engineers from England were scheduled to arrive on Saturday, with 30 to be utilised by NIE and 22 to assist ESB Networks in the Irish Republic.
He said further additional resources would follow.
Homes and buildings were damaged and scores of roads were blocked by fallen trees during the strong winds, while a yellow warning for wind has been issued for Sunday.
Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan said more than 100 schools have reported damage to property and the Education Authority is working to prioritise repairs based on severity. He said they also estimated that more than 100 schools are still without power.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said there were more than 2,300 reported obstructions on the road network during the storm, and 70 trees had to be cleared on Friday to re-open the M2.
He urged motorists to exercise caution, saying work remained ongoing to clear all the hazards.
NIE Networks said they hope to restore power to the vast majority of homes and businesses over the coming days but warned it could take up to 10 days before all customers have power restored, and both weather conditions, and the ability to access locations, will continue to be challenging this weekend.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly met with NIE Networks staff in Craigavon, Co Armagh on Saturday, and thanked staff for their tireless work to restore power supplies.
Ms O’Neill described the storm and its impacts as “unprecedented on every level”.
“We’re assured that everything that can be done is being done to restore connections,” she said.
“Significant progress has been made over the past 24 hours with over 100,000 homes already connected, but we also understand it is very frustrating for those people who are still not connected.
“People will continue to work tirelessly to ensure people are reconnected as quickly as possible. It is very difficult given the sheer volume of damage that has been caused but we’re assured that all the work that can be done is being done and we want to thank the staff for all of their efforts.”
Ms Little-Pengelly said Eowyn was a “very significant storm” and it will take time to address the damage caused.
“We had over 2,000 obstructions on roads, 25% of connections off, I think it is really good news that that has reduced down to 18% with almost 100,000 reconnections, but we want to assure people we recognise how challenged it is to be without electricity and we will be doing everything we can in the Executive, working with colleagues, working with agencies to support NIE to try and get these reconnections done as quickly as possible,” she said.
“I really welcome the news today of additional support from Great Britain.
“We recognise that may not be enough and we will be having a series of engagements, speaking with the Prime Minister today at 4pm, talking to the government in terms of the Cobr meeting at 5pm and we will be emphasising the need for that help and support for Northern Ireland because we want to see these issues addressed as quickly as possible.”
Derek Hynes, managing director of NIE Networks, said they believe there are more than 4,000 locations where the network has been damaged by the wind or fallen trees.
“Right now we are prioritising hazard faults followed by those with are affecting the largest numbers of homes and businesses,” he said.
“It is likely that it will take us around 10 days to get to the final locations and restore power to those residents.
“We continue to work with government and other agencies to try to provide information to the most vulnerable in our society as we work through a long restoration effort.
“At this stage, we have been able to restore power to 145,000 families and will continue to work over the weekend to assess the scale of the damage and to update estimated restoration times on our website. We will keep going until everyone has their power back.”
On Saturday afternoon, PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said with the immediate risk to life from Storm Eowyn reduced, police have officially transferred co-ordination of the operation to the Department of Infrastructure which will lead the transition into the recovery phase.”Our officers have begun to return to routine operational policing but we will continue to support partner agencies as they clear debris, work to make roads safe and restore power to homes,” he said.
“NIE Networks has urged the public to stay well clear of any power lines or damaged electricity equipment they may come across. This should be reported to them immediately.
“Road users are also advised that there are icy conditions expected tonight and high winds have been forecast for tomorrow. There is a yellow warning for wind across Northern Ireland on Sunday from 10am until 7pm.
“We urge road users to take the necessary precautions to ensure your journey is as safe as possible.”
