Assembly Ministers have made statements on Storm Éowyn following widespread destruction and cuts to services
Infrastructure Minister thanks staff working to clear roads in wake of Storm Éowyn
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd has thanked staff from his Department who are out on the ground dealing with the impact of Storm Éowyn.
There were over 2,300 reported obstructions on the road network during the storm including hundreds on motorways and class A, B and C roads.
This means hazards remain on many roads across the north while the clearance operation continues. The public are urged to exercise caution if using the roads.
Minister O’Dowd said: “Our teams worked with other agencies to prepare for the potential impacts of Storm Éowyn and have been working extremely hard in difficult circumstances to deal with the aftermath.
“Our staff and contractors have been working around the clock, with the strategic network now open to traffic, but that does not tell the whole story. The work involved in opening just one road can take many hours. For example, 70 trees had to be cleared yesterday to re-open the M2.
“Our teams have also been assisting the health services to clear debris on routes into hospital sites as well as working with NIE Networks and NI Water to gain access to their critical infrastructure.
“The clear up has been made more challenging with overnight snow and frost in many areas. Despite this, a gritting service was delivered on the main strategic road network and, again, I thank those who go out to do this work in the freezing weather.
“I want to thank our staff for the work they are doing to get our roads open safely again but the scale of the damage means a full clear-up could take a number of days. I would encourage road users to pay heed to ‘road closed’ signs as these warnings are intended to keep the travelling public safe.”
There are further Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice and wind in place for the weekend which is putting our resources under extreme pressure.
While we will endeavour to deliver further gritting services on the main strategic road network we would continue to urge the public to consider if their journey is necessary and if you must travel please plan ahead and exercise caution and be mindful of changing conditions as roads which are normally gritted might not be.
A yellow warning for wind is in place for tomorrow and while not expected to be a strong as Friday, road users are advised to remain cautious and vigilant as there is the potential for further trees, structures and powerlines already weakened by Storm Éowyn to fall.
NIE Networks is reminding the public to stay well clear of any damaged electricity equipment and report it immediately to the Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Members of the public should never approach a broken pole or electricity line or cut trees in the vicinity of electricity infrastructure as they may come in contact with live power lines.
Should customers experience a power cut they can report the fault and check for updates at Powercheck NI (powercheck.nienetworks.co.uk)
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Economy Minister Holds Power Restoration Meetings
Economy Minister Conor Murphy this afternoon met with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Minister Michael Shanks MP to discuss power restoration efforts following Storm Éowyn.
Speaking afterwards Minister Murphy said: “I thanked Minister Shanks for ensuring that the English Distribution Companies are prioritising delivery of the established mutual aid agreements between them and NIE Networks.
“There are already 52 engineers from England scheduled to arrive today, 30 of who will be utilised by NIE and 22 will assist ESB Networks in the south, with further additional resources to follow.”
Minister Murphy also met with NIE management to access what additional support they require and to thank all the NIE engineers and their contractors involved in the restoration efforts.
He said: “NIE has been working tirelessly since the end of the Red Alert yesterday afternoon, already restoring the supply to around 100,000 homes.
“This storm is unprecedented with over 280,000 premises losing supply compared to the previous worst event in 1998 when 162,000 lost supply. I discussed with NIE the importance of an effective communication strategy to inform those impacted as to when power will be restored.
“I am sure that with 800 people already deployed in the logistics needed to restore supplies, with the addition of engineers from England, Scotland and Wales, that NIE will do all it can to restore the remaining 190,000 homes and businesses as soon as it is possible to do so safely.”
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Education Minister Givan Responds to Storm Éowyn
Education Minister Paul Givan has met with the Education Authority (EA) to discuss the damage caused by Storm Éowyn to schools across Northern Ireland.
The EA is coordinating the emergency response and providing assistance to schools that have been impacted by the storm.
Speaking after the meeting Paul Givan said: “To date, over 100 schools have reported damage to their property ranging from minor damage to fences, missing roof tiles to more significant structural damage.
“The Education Authority’s Maintenance service is currently working hard to prioritise the most critical repairs across Northern Ireland. Staff are out on the ground assessing the damage to schools, taking forward essential repairs and establishing whether it is safe for the more severely damaged schools to open on Monday.
“NIE Networks has reported extensive damage to the electricity network and we currently estimate that more than 100 schools are still without power. We are currently working closely, and NIE have confirmed that they will, where possible, prioritise schools that currently have no power.
“While every effort continues to be made over this weekend to ensure that impacted schools can reopen as soon as practicably possible, it is likely that some schools may need to move to remote learning on Monday 27 January 2025.”
EA’s School Transport Service plans to operate as normal on Monday, however there may be some disruption or delays to routes as a result of damage to roads
Speaking directly to school principals, the Minister continued: “I would ask schools to report critical repairs over this weekend through EA’s Maintenance Service’s Out of Hours Helpline on 028 3751 2345. NIE have also strongly advised not to approach any electricity equipment and to be extra careful around fallen trees and when assessing damage.
“If a decision has been taken to close your school building due to the impact of the storm, please continue to provide learning from home for the children and young people who are unable to attend school on Monday.”
The Minister concluded by thanking those who have been involved in the response to Storm Éowyn: “I want to express my sincere gratitude to all EA colleagues who have worked tirelessly to protect our schools and ensure the safety of our educational community. Their dedication, both on the front line and behind the scenes, has been exemplary during this challenging period.
“The storm has caused unprecedented damage across the whole of Northern Ireland and I appreciate the continued patience of schools and parents as we work to help affected schools recover as quickly as possible.”
Schools will be communicating any special arrangements or closures directly with parents/carers at the earliest opportunity. Information will also be available on:
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UPDATE: 9pm Saturday 25 1 25.
Statement from the Executive on severe weather
The Executive has met this evening and thanked all front line workers who have been keeping people safe during the impacts of Storm Éowyn.
Working in the most difficult of conditions, our front line staff have performed heroics over the last 24 hours and we thank them for everything they have done and are doing. We are in their debt.
The position remains very challenging with approximately 214,000 homes without power and temperatures forecast to fall close to or below freezing.
Many roads are blocked with fallen trees, power lines and debris. More than 2000 obstructions on the road network have been reported including 873 on our motorways and class A, B and C roads.
Ministers have thanked the public for following the advice and have encouraged them to continue to do everything to stay safe. Consider if your journey is really necessary particularly as further severe weather alerts including snow and ice and strong winds are expected.
The Executive is committed to doing everything it can to return the situation to normal as quickly as possible.
The recovery operation will take time, will impact on the running of our public services and will have significant financial implications.
But we will continue to work together and will leave no stone unturned to get the support necessary.
The Executive tonight agreed to write to the Prime Minister to ask for assistance in dealing with the impacts of the storm.
The issue of practical support has also been raised with the Tánaiste by the First Minister.
