In the wake of Storm Éowyn, the Department of Social Protection has disbursed €225,345 in humanitarian help, reports RTE.
Since the storm struck Ireland last week, 1,150 payments have been made under the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.
Homes and schools were among the many establishments that sustained major damage during the storm, reports RTE.
Taoiseach Mícheál Martin stated that he thinks further humanitarian action is needed in the coming days, especially in places that still lack water and power, and that he will collaborate with the Health Service Executive on vulnerable individuals.
He said this while discussing the ongoing response to Storm Éowyn with ministers, authorities, and the chair of the National Emergency Coordination Group, reports RTE.
He received an update on the state of affairs and expressed gratitude for the tremendous amount of labour and effort that frontline workers and others have put into the storm response thus far.
In the meanwhile, 2,800 people are without water after Storm Éowyn, and 86,000 customers are still without electricity.
According to ESB Networks, electricity has been restored to 682,000 households and businesses over a week after the storm, reports RTE.
Reconnecting the remaining impacted clients is still being worked on.
In order to assist with power restoration, 285 contractors from Austria, Finland, France, and the UK are reportedly on the ground in the worst affected locations. Additionally, according to ESB Networks, additional assistance from Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway will be arriving in the days ahead, reports RTE.
In the most severely damaged regions of the nation, ESB Networks issued a warning about very unsafe situations in which members of the public have encountered collapsed infrastructure.
It advised people to phone the ESB to report any damage they found and to avoid touching or approaching any damaged infrastructure as it could be live.
2,800 clients are still without water, according to Uisce Éireann. Since yesterday, 4,500 locations have had their supply restored, reports RTE.
Where water has not yet restored, Uisce Éireann is in contact with local Emergency Response Hubs and Co-ordination Groups to provide alternative supplies.
Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton stated that the government “needs to plan better” for the next major storm, reports RTE.
However, she said that Storm Éowyn was “unprecedented” and that the emergency services “have been doing Trojan work in very, very difficult circumstances.” She made this statement when appearing on RTE’s News at One: “I know people are sitting in the cold and they’re getting very angry and very frustrated,” reports RTE.
Ms. Naughton stated that although the aftermath of the storm elicited “a huge community response right across the country,” “we do need to plan better the next time something like this happens.”
Ms. Naughton recognised that certain community centres that offered the general public phone charging and bathing facilities opened longer than necessary, reports RTE.
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