Eimear Flanagan News NI
About 18,000 homes are still without power on Saturday afternoon after Storm Amy hit Northern Ireland.
At the height of the storm on Friday, about 65,000 customers were without an electricity supply after strong winds brought trees down and damaged the network.
A peak wind gust of 92mph (148km/ph) – provisionally a new October record – was recorded at the Magilligan weather station in County Londonderry on Friday afternoon.
All trains were cancelled but most lines have been reopened, Translink said.
In the Republic of Ireland, a man in his 40s died in County Donegal in a “weather-related incident” and about 49,000 are still without power.
On Saturday, a yellow wind warning for all of Northern Ireland remains in place until 23:59 BST.
A further yellow weather warning for rain has been lifted.
Before midday on Saturday, 18 schools had reported “storm-related incidents” to Education Authority’s (EA) Maintenance Services – mainly damage to roofs and fallen trees.
On Friday, the EA told schools in counties Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone and Fermanagh to close at midday “in the interests of safety”.
NIE Networks has said it hopes to have power restored to the vast majority of properties affected by Sunday morning, but advised it could take up to Monday evening for some areas.
It said the number of customers affected by power cuts had reduced to about 40,000 by 22:00 BST on Friday, but more homes lost power overnight.
NIE Networks’ operations manager, Alex Houston, said the yellow alert for wind could impact their “restoration efforts and cause further damage” but their crew will be “working to get as many customers restored as quickly as possible”.
“We would again urge people to stay well clear of any broken or damaged electrical equipment and to report any damage immediately,” he added.
He advised that householders “may experience interruption or fluctuations to their electricity supply as work is undertaken to restore power to those still impacted”.
In the Republic of Ireland, some 184,000 properties lost power on Friday, but by Saturday midday that number had fallen to 49,000.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said the majority of those still affected should have their power back by Sunday evening, but warned some in the worst affected areas may be without electricity into early next week.
On Friday, flights and trains were cancelled and a number of roads were closed across Northern Ireland due to the storm.
Several trees came down and heavy rain caused flooding in several areas.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) warned road users that some roads remain closed on Saturday morning due to fallen trees or flooding.
“We are particularly urging road users to exercise extra care and attention when driving,” a PSNI spokeswoman said on Saturday morning.
“Surface water, flooding, fallen debris or temporary restrictions are all a strong possibility.
“Everyone should still avoid unnecessary travel but if you must travel take extra care and please reduce your speed.”
Disruption to flights
Belfast International Airport recorded a total of 13 cancellations on Friday as a result of weather conditions.
Its spokeswoman confirmed there have been no cancellations “so far” on Saturday.
But she added “delays can still be expected” and advised passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information.
Flights at City of Derry Airport are operating as normal on Saturday, its spokesman told News NI.
He said one flight to Manchester was not able to fly on Friday and passengers had to be accommodated in hotels.
At Dublin Airport, about 20 of Saturday’s flights have been cancelled by airlines as winds continue to disrupt some operations.
But its spokesman Graeme McQueen said a number of flights which could not take off on Friday “departed during this morning’s first wave”.
“Wind speeds are due to decrease gradually through the day and most airlines are expecting to run full schedules,” he added.
“However, with further disruption possible, passengers due to fly today should keep in touch with their airline for latest updates on the status of their flight.”
Emergency contacts
To report faults or emergencies you should contact:
- Northern Ireland Housing Executive: 03448 920 901
- Openreach: 08000 23 20 23
- Gas networks: 0800 002001
- NI Water: 03457 44 00 88 or visit niwater.com
- Flooding Incident Line: 0300 2000 100
- NIE Networks: 03457 643 643 or visit nienetworks.co.uk