It could be up to ten days before everyone in Northern Ireland has their power restored after Storm Éowyn, NIE Networks has said. In an update issued after 9.30pm, the electricity provider said 214,000 homes and businesses remain without power due to "extensive damage" to the electricity network.
At the storm's peak earlier on Friday, 30% of all premises in Northern Ireland had their power disconnected due to the high winds. NIE Networks say they will restore power to the "vast majority" of homes and businesses in the coming days.
They said weather conditions and the ability to access locations will continue to be challenging with an ice and snow warning overnight, along with further wind warnings over the weekend. NIE Networks are working with Department for Infrastructure and PSNI to help clear over 1,000 blocked roads due to fallen trees and electricity wires.
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Derek Hynes, Managing Director of NIE Networks, explained: “Storm Eowyn has caused devastating levels of damage to the electricity network in Northern Ireland. Almost one third of the people here have no power.
"At this early stage, we believe that there are well over 4,000 locations in Northern Ireland where our network has been damaged by the wind or falling trees. Each of these locations will need to be visited.
"Right now we are prioritising faults which affect the largest numbers of homes and businesses. It is likely that it will take us up to ten 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 more than 68,000 families and will 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.
"For the next couple of days I am concerned that there will be fallen poles and wires in public areas. Please do not approach any electricity equipment and be extra careful around fallen trees as they often take electricity poles and wires with them as they fall. Please call us if you see anything that looks dangerous on 03457 643 643.”
Customers can also report a power cut online via nienetworks.co.uk
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