As thousands of homes around the country enter their fifth day without electricity, water and internet connections following storm Éowyn, frustration is growing at the lack of support for those affected.

In some parts of the west of Ireland, homeowners have been told they will not be reconnected to electricity supplies until February 5, almost two weeks after the red alert storm struck last Thursday night.

Many families are relying on generators to restore power, with people travelling as far as the Midlands to purchase such equipment.

One family in Corofin, in north Galway has been without utilities since the storm struck and like many are using a generator as an interim measure.

“We’ve a 2.3KW petrol generator that we’re able to use to keep the lights and WIFI on but we have to be careful we don’t overload it. We’re using it to power the washing machine during the day when we don’t need to have the lights on,” said the homeowner who did not wish to be named.

“We don’t think the cooker will work on it so we haven’t tried it and we were afraid the fridge would be too much so we’ve had to let that stay off and take the hit on the loss of food.

“We were lucky my brother was able to lend the generator to me as we’ve had neighbours that have had to travel as far as Mullingar for one. There isn’t a generator to be had in the west of Ireland at the minute.”

'Inexplicable'

Most domestic use generators are only deisgned to power small appliances, lights, and power tools, while those with a larger capacity (between 3,100 and 6,000 watts can support mid-size appliances, heating and cooling. Large appliances and water heaters require the next size up (6,100 to 10,000 watts) while emergency power and whole home electricity generation requires over 10,100 watts.

Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly has called on the government to do more to ensure all available EU aid is drawn down to address the emergency following storm Éowyn.

It has emerged that emergency help was offered by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management last Wednesday, but a request only came from the Irish government for generator capacity and crews last Saturday, after the storm had passed.

“I find this inexplicable. Irish water needs hundreds of generators to keep reservoirs open while waiting for the ESB to deal with unbelievable levels of damage,” said Mr Mullooly.

“We desperately need those generators to maintain water and proper safety standards for half a million homes.

"I welcome the swift response from the European Commission in providing emergency reports, satellite mapping and endeavouring to mobilise vital resources such as mobile generators. I call on the Government to closely monitor developments and assess additional needs as the situation evolves. The EU stands ready to provide support, and we must not hesitate to ask for it."

In addition to the lack of utilities, homes have lost hundreds of euros worth of food since the storm as fridges and freezers have defrosted with the lack of power supply.

The advice from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland regarding consuming food where a freezer has lost power is the following;

  • The food in your freezer should stay frozen for up to 48 hours in a full freezer (or 24 hours if it’s half full), but these are estimates. Fridge and freezer temperatures will vary depending on their make and model. The ambient room temperature at the time of the power cut will also affect this.
  • If the weather is cold (below 8°C), you can store food outside. Store food in clean dry conditions, out of direct sunlight and protect it from animals. You should use a sealed box to prevent contamination and tampering.
  • If food is partly frozen and still has ice crystals, then it is safe to refreeze or use. Discard food that has been warmer than 5 °C for more than two hours.