LAST UPDATE | 13 Nov 2023

AROUND 34,000 HOMES and businesses are still without power this evening after Storm Debi battered the country.

At present the worst-affected areas are Athlone, Cavan, Drogheda, Dundalk, Longford, Mullingar and Tuam.

All weather warnings expired this morning but public transport services are resuming on a phased basis. We have the latest information here.

Met Éireann has warned that despite the less severe weather warning for the rest of the day, there may still be hazardous travelling conditions amid fallen trees and flooding.

#StormDebi

⚠️All warnings are now status yellow

Possible impacts:
- Fallen trees/branches🌲
- Localised flooding including wave overtopping🌊
- Hazardous travelling conditions🚲🚗🚶‍♀️

Warning details ➡️https://t.co/nXGhrFJMwc pic.twitter.com/x6LKkscK4j

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 13, 2023

The ESB has said storm force winds associated with Storm Debi “caused damage to the electricity network overnight, predominantly in western, midwest and midlands counties”. 

As of 5.15pm, around 34,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power. 

Brian Tapley, ESB Networks regional manager, told RTÉ’s News at One that the ESB currently has “all available resources” deployed to deal with the outages and it said “crews will respond to all electricity outages once it’s safe to do so”. 

The ESB has said that its crews will “work late into the night” to restore power across the country as soon as possible.

It is warning people who come across fallen wires or damaged electricity networks to “never, ever touch or approach these as they are live and extremely dangerous”. 

At ESB Networks we are keeping a close eye on #StormDebi. Here is some advice on how to stay prepared in advance. In case of electricity related emergencies call us on 1800 372 999. Remember to always #StaySafe and #StayClear pic.twitter.com/vw1DsNsRNM

— ESB Networks (@ESBNetworks) November 12, 2023

People are also being advised to keep a torch in an easy to access location, along with an extra supply of batteries. 

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It may also be useful to keep your phone and portable chargers charged up this morning in case an outage occurs. 

People should also know where their household fuses and trip switches are so they can be checked if there are any issues with electrics. 

The ESB has said during major outages, information and updates are usually broadcast on radio stations. 

In case of electricity-related emergencies, the ESB can be contacted on 1800 372 999. 

All power outage updates are available to view on the ESB’s PowerCheck website.

With reporting by Eoghan Dalton and Mairead Maguire