The Housing Executive said they are prioritising emergency repairs after receiving thousands of calls in the wake of Storm Éowyn. The red weather warning caused damage to properties in Northern Ireland on Friday, with many across the region without power into the new week.
The housing authority began preparing for the storm early last week, and said since Friday, they have received over 5,300 calls and issued over 1,300 emergency repairs. Most of these repairs relate to storm damage, fallen trees, and heating issues at properties across Northern Ireland.
In a statement issued on Monday afternoon, Grainia Long, Chief Executive of the Housing Executive, said emergency repairs are continuing to be prioritised and that it may take some time for all repairs to be completed.
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Ms Long said: “Preparations for Storm Éowyn began early last week, when it became clear this weather event was to become a major incident. Since Friday, we’ve received over 5,300 calls and issued over 1,300 emergency repairs – mostly relating to storm damage, fallen trees and heating issues.
“On Friday evening, as the poor weather subsided – and when it was safe to do so - our maintenance teams and contractors were able access sites, assess the scale of this damage and prioritise our response. Already, 1,200 of the reported emergency repairs have been attended to and we are hopeful that many more will be dealt with today.
“Our thanks go to our teams and our contractors who worked over the weekend to assist with tenants and to get repair work carried out. Today (Monday, 27 Jan) we’re continuing to prioritise emergency repairs.
“We continue to receive exceptionally high numbers of calls and, because of the scale of storm damage and continued disruption, it may take some time to complete all our repair works.
"We would like to thank our tenants for their patience and understanding as we prioritise this work. All our offices are open and our local teams are available if any tenant needs to discuss any urgent housing issue."
In preparation for Storm Éowyn, the Housing Executive put an extended Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) in place to help those at risk of rough sleeping. This remained in place over the weekend.
Grainia Long added: “Our teams, contractors and homelessness partners were placed on standby and an extended Severe Weather Emergency Protocol was put in place, ensuring those at risk of rough sleeping were cared for.
“The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) remained in place over the weekend to provide extended support for those experiencing homelessness.
“Our teams also worked round the clock to ensure all available accommodation and support is available to those who found themselves homeless or who were rough sleeping.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to those homeless providers and voluntary organisations for providing additional support, extra bed spaces and outreach during this time.”
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