Updated at 8pm
THE ESB HAS launched an estimated-restoration-times service on its online application for those still without power in the wake of Storm Ophelia.
Currently, over 70% of those who lost service during Monday’s storm have had their electricity restored, up from 55% this morning.
The majority of the 105,000 customers still affected are based in the south and south-west of the country. The ESB says they are likely to have their power restored within three-to-four days.
In the meantime, estimated restoration times (ERTs) for faults can be gauged on Powercheck.ie, or on the site’s equivalent Android and iPhone apps.
Most of the faults in the south of the country still have an unknown restoration time, however the ESB says that its recovery crews are gradually moving southwards fixing the faults they find as they go.
The power outages are spread all over the country, with the south and south-west particularly badly hit. At the height of the storm 385,000 customers were without power, making it a more damaging storm than 2014′s Storm Darwin.
In an earlier statement, ESB Networks said that its repair crews will be assisted by contractors and crews from other electricity utilities who will travel from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Crews are having difficulty gaining access to power lines as they are hampered by fallen trees and debris.
The company is telling members of the public to not touch fallen power lines and to report those to 1850 372 999.
Customers can check PowerCheck for updates.
Eir says that 150,000 of their customers are currently without broadband, telephone and mobile services, up from the estimated 110,000 quoted earlier.
The company says that it expects the “number of individual fault reports to rise today and over the coming days” due to the “unprecedented and widespread levels of damage” to the company’s infrastructure.
Travel services are back to normal across the country, with the Luas running again in Dublin.
Primary and secondary schools, which had been closed for the last two days, are open again today.
The number of homes without water is also down, from a peak of 109,000 to around 48,000 yesterday evening. Irish Water says that 250,000 premises had been at risk of losing supply, but this is down to around 50,000. Kerry, Cork and Waterford are the worst hit areas.
Additional reporting Cianan Brennan
First published 7.33am
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