It is hard to believe that Irish homes and families, businesses and farms, were without electricity for almost three weeks in 2025.
But yet, here we are. It is even harder to believe that some of these properties are in Galway city. My home in Briarhill was one.
No one questions that Storm Éowyn was historic. The damage to property was widespread. Thankfully, the warnings issued by relevant authorities were heeded by the public. Matters could have been far worse.
Most of us probably take electricity for granted. We had it all our lives, and the biggest challenge many of us previously experienced was an afternoon without power for four hours.
What many of us experienced after this storm, was on a whole other level.
A day, two days, maybe three, without power, is manageable - even somewhat novel. But when you move to day four, then to a week, and beyond... The novelty wears thin. Then annoyance, frustration and even anger.
No matter how bad the storm was, I find it difficult to understand how it took so long to restore power. My electricity was out for almost two weeks, and I live in a city. To really understand the challenges, you have to experience it. Otherwise – respectfully - you probably won’t get it!
Information and communication were also issues. The Powercheck website was worn out with the number of hits it was receiving. When I was logging on for the third time in fifteen minutes, hoping that the restoration date will somehow magically move forward, I knew I was living in unusual times.
Then, just when you think restoration is due, the website suddenly extends this date for a few more days, and then a few further days... It really does become frustrating, annoying and difficult to understand. This drove people ga ga.
Add in to the mix that when the CEO of ESB Networks told RTÉ that household bills will go up next year to pay for all the damage repairs, one wondered what world he was living in. ESB Networks then issued a clarifying statement. Time will tell if they do seek to charge us more. I would advise them to tread carefully.
Galway and the western seaboard were most affected by this storm. The outages here far surpassed elsewhere, and lasted far longer. Like many, I cannot help feeling that if this was on the eastern side of the country then repair and restoration might be faster. It certainly felt that the West was again left behind.
I think the Government’s immediate response was initially poor. They did not seem to appreciate of the scale of the problem They did get their act together with the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme and a scheme to cover temporary, alternative accommodation. I am not sure these were enough.
We are constantly told that we live in a wealthy country: billions here and billions there. However, as a public representative for many years, it is my experience that many households are living on tight budgets. Many of these households are considered ‘middle class,’ but if an unexpected crisis happens, they can suddenly experience financial pressure; quickly.
Social Welfare recipients receive extra payments from time to time. Businesses receive extra supports. The same is applied to child benefit. All worthy. When the electricity is out for days, this impacts any home.
Refrigerated food is lost. Cooked food needs to be bought. Dirty clothes build up. Communication becomes difficult as devices remain uncharged. All of this has a significant human and financial cost. These days become very expensive.
I am not sure the schemes presently in place, or insurance cover, will fully compensate people. It is my belief that all homes without power should receive a discount or compensation from the ESB and/or the Government on a future bill. This should be based on the number of days without power.
Further, we have now experienced first-hand what can happen when a storm at this magnitude occurs. Next time, we need to be better prepared: the Government needs to get money to affected people immediately, and power restoration plans must be tweaked. There should not be a repeat. Sure, haven’t we lessons learned..?!
