THERE ARE STILL around 32,000 homes and businesses without electricity today, over a week after Storm Éowyn wreaked havoc on the country.

The figure is down from over 760,000 last weekend.

The National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) met again today to continue to coordinate efforts to restore power, water, telecommunications and other services.

The most impacted areas continue to be the north and west of the country.

At the peak, over 300 schools across the country were without power, but the vast majority are set to open as normal tomorrow after the bank holiday.

The ESB has warned that even after being reconnected, they may experience some short disruptions to power to allow neighbours to be safely reconnected.

Skilled technicians from the ESB’s counterparts in Austria, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands and Norway are on the ground in the worst impacted areas. 

Meanwhile, fewer than 400 premises remain without water and significant progress has been made in restoring telecommunication services.

Uisce Éireann has now deployed and installed generators at almost all of the plants, pumping stations and reservoirs where it is feasible to do so. The NECG said Uisce Éireann is working with the ESB to prioritise the restoration of electricity supply in the remaining locations.

The estimated effect of Storm Éowyn on the national telecoms userbase was the largest ever recorded. 

There are 326 Emergency Response Hubs currently operational, down from a high of 380. These include community led hubs with local authority financial and administrative supports. Emergency Response Hubs are assisting people with basic needs such as water, hot food, phone charging, broadband access, and shower facilities.

Further details on the above hubs are available at www.gov.ie/stormresponse and an interactive map of hubs is available here.