Water requirements: If using containers like the 1,000-litre tanks, make sure they are well washed out before you fill them with water for livestock.

I have heard of some horror stories in the past where cattle have had adverse reactions to residues in containers. It’s surprising how much cattle will actually drink even if eating silage or not sucking calves. Teagasc guidelines recommend that suckler cows need up to 90l/day, weanlings need 20-25l/day, finishing cattle need 35-60l/day, and animals on ad-lib meals need up to 70l/day.

If cattle have had a prolonged period without water, it’s important that animals don’t gorge a lot of water at the one time. This can lead to cold shock and death in some cases.

Try and restrict access to ‘little and often’ for a few hours until you offer full access.

Storm cover: While storm Éowyn has come and gone, the reality is, with our changing climate, forecasters reckon that freak weather events like we experienced last week may become more common in the future.

When everything calms down, have a look around the yard to see if there is anything you can do to better prepare for the next one. A lot of people are talking about generators for both dwelling houses and yards. If installing a generator, it’s important that it is done by a qualified electrician and that a proper isolation switch is fitted to comply with electrical safety requirements.

If last week’s storm took place in the middle of a busy calving week with no light and no access to red light bulbs etc, it could have been a lot of worse so an alternative power supply could be a good call for the next one. Could you divert some roof water to a water tank to use in a time when the power is off in the future? Are there any remedial works to be completed to old sheds to prevent further damage?

I’ve spoken to a lot of farmers who have had shed clear lights blown out by wind. Take care if replacing these as roofs can be very slippy at this time of year. Roadside trees have also become a huge issue where trees have fallen on roadways. Are there other trees that could come down over the next few weeks to avoid further disruption?

Looking after yourself and your family: The last week has been a very difficult time on some farms. Losing power, water and contact with the outside world has made for a hellish time. Farmers will inherently treat their livestock as their number-one priority, but it’s also important to look after yourself.

Many part-time and full-time farmers have been working well into the night carrying drums and buckets of water to livestock with only a headlamp or headlights of the tractor guiding them. It’s a lonely place when you’re trying to get through all of this on your own.

It’s important to keep the chats going. Lift the phone to a neighbour, or better still, call in to that neighbour to see if all is OK. We are all in this together and hopefully by the weekend when we flick the switch or turn on the tap, everything will be back to normal. If it is back to normal, make sure to get away from the yard for a few hours to spend time with your family.