N80 impassable near Mountmellick as Storm Éowyn causes widespread damage in Laois
Laois County Council urges people to remain indoors as ESB says 715,000 now without power nationally
Laois County Council is reporting widespread power outages, downed trees and blocked roads as Storm Éowyn passes through the county.
The N80 two kilometres north of Mountmellick, the R428 at Castlemitchell and the R422 at Killeen are all impassable due to storm damage.
The Council is urging people to remain indoors during the Status Red Wind Warning which is in place until 11am
The council’s Severe Weather Hotline is open. The Hotline Number is 1800 832010. Emergency calls should be directed to 999 or 112, in the normal way
The public are being advised to continue to shelter in place and not travel unless it’s absolutely necessary, even when the red warning expires.
Uisce Éireann customers can check the website and social media channels for updates and to get in touch with any issues or concerns via their 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278.
Meanwhile, ESB Networks say 715,000 people are without power as a result of the storm.
Extreme, damaging and destructive winds associated with Storm Éowyn have continued to cause widespread and extensive damage to the electricity network across the country with over 715,000 homes, farms and businesses (as at 8 a.m.) without power.
With Met Éireann Status Red and Orange wind warnings remaining in place for the entire country until later this afternoon, more power outages can be expected throughout the day as the storm tracks northwards. At current numbers, the damage to the electricity network and impact on customers has been unprecedented.
"ESB Networks continue to closely monitor the storm impact on power supplies and all available resources stand ready to mobilise once safe to do so.
From our experience of previous significant weather events and due to the severity of Storm Éowyn, we expect that power restoration will take a significant number of days.
Given the extent of the damage nationwide estimated restoration times (ERTs) will only be provided once our teams have assessed network faults and these will then be available to view throughout tomorrow Saturday on www.PowerCheck.ie.
Our Customer Contact Centre Agents will be supporting customers throughout Storm Éowyn but will not be in a position to provide outage information until the network assessment has been fully conducted.
An Important Public Safety Message: If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999.”