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IRELAND IS TO receive 17 generators from Poland and Denmark, as thousands in the country are still without power and water after Storm Éowyn.
It’s understood that a number of generators have already arrived today and have been made available to Uisce Éireann.
More are also on their way from Luxembourg.
New figures show that the number of people whose phone service was affected by the storm was two million at the peak. That’s 35% of mobile users.
At peak, over 281,000, or 10% of broadband customers were completely without services.
As of yesterday, around 2.5% of broadband services are impacted and 10% of mobile users.
Around 133,000 homes and businesses remained without power as of 11:30am this morning, while Uisce Éireann said that around 7,500 premises were still without water.
Some people have been told they could wait up to a week before they’re reconnected.
Pressure is mounting on the government to find ways to build resilience build so that the country can be better prepared for the next storm.
A government spokesperson pushed back against claims that it was slow to act, saying the force of the storm was unprecedented.
It was the first time the whole of Ireland was under a Status Red weather warning at once.
Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has said it is “unforgivable” that the Dáil hasn’t been recalled to coordinate the State response.
She said that power and water outages are a real risk to the lives of vulnerable people, such as the elderly and those with disabilities.
Whitmore says the Defence Forces could be used to help with recovery efforts, as well as reaching those stuck without essentials.
“These are all ideas that could have been put forward and discussed if the government had agreed to recall the Dáil this week to outline their planned response to the crisis. Their refusal to do so is unforgiveable.”
Sinn Fein spokesperson on Agriculture, Food and Marine, Martin Kenny TD, has called on the government to establish an emergency hardship fund for farmers affected by Storm Eowyn, which he says has been “catrastrophic”.
“As the clean-up and restoration of electricity and water services continue in the aftermath of storm Eowyn, farmers are assessing and getting to grips with damage done to their farms,” he said.
“Many farms have had roofs blown off sheds, trees fall on sheds, fences, walls, and farm machinery.”
The Department of Social Protection’s Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is available to provide support to those living in properties directly affected by Storm Éowyn.The scheme does not pay for damage that is covered by insurance policies, nor does it cover commercial, agricultural, or business losses.
The income limits for the scheme are €50,000 for a single person, €90,000 for a couple and €15,000 per dependent child
So far, the Community Welfare Service has dealt with over 1,000 enquiries and issued 636 payments totalling €123,780 following Storm Éowyn.
The new government has committed to developing an Extreme Weather Event Assistance Scheme, which is separate from its existing payout schemes.
The programme for government outlines a commitment to prepare and manage the impacts of extreme weather events “as climate risks continue to rise”.
With reporting by Christina Finn
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