Thousands remain without power in the county

Up to 3,600 customers could be without power in the county at the moment due to Storm Isha, the ESB has told the Herald.

When contacted, a spokesperson for ESB Networks said that while overall damage was not quite as severe as in neighbouring counties such as Mayo, “customers in the county are unfortunately experiencing a high level of disruption”.

The spokesperson said that major areas impacted include the Rooskey area, where1600 customers were without power, and Castlerea and Roscommon Town where approximately 1,000 customers remain without power. They estimated that a further 1,000 customers around the county were without power as of this afternoon. The ESB is warning that it could be Wednesday before power is restored to some customers, although this is subject to change.

“Damage is extensive across the county in smaller pockets. All available local crews have been deployed, supplemented by crews from our contracting partners,” the spokesperson said.

Earlier today over 155,000 homes, farms and businesses nationwide were without power.

The main areas impacted were predominantly in the Northwest including counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim and Cavan. The damage was mainly due to trees falling on overhead lines as a result of the high winds.

“We expect to restore power to significant numbers of impacted customers throughout today, Monday,” the spokesperson said. “However, due to the severity of Storm Isha, full restoration of electricity supplies will take a number of days. While we continue to restore electricity to large numbers of customers, we expect to have significant numbers of customers without power tonight. Given the extensive damage to the network, unfortunately some customers will be without power for a number of days. Orange and Yellow level winds associated with Storm Jocelyn tomorrow (Tuesday) may hamper restoration efforts.

“It is important that any impacted customers who use electrically powered medical devices contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements if necessary.

“We apologise for the disruption to family and commercial life due to storm Isha, and thank customers across the country for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power as quickly as possible.” The real-time status on power restoration is being updated throughout the day and is available on www.PowerCheck.ietarget="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> and www.ESBNetworks.ie.

At a council meeting earlier today, Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice said that 40 trees had come down in the Castlerea area, saying the damage was the worst he ever saw. The councillors thanked the local authority staff, the ESB, and the emergency services for their work. Trees have been reported down around the county including in Donamon and in the Hill of Berries Kiltoom.