Clean-up underway as worst impacts of Storm Debi ease

A MAJOR clean-up is underway in the wake of Storm Debi which battered several counties overnight and early this morning.

The worst of the weather has now passed and all status red and status orange warnings have now been lifted by Met Éireann.

However, a national status yellow wind and rain warning remains in place until 3pm this Monday with the forecaster warning of fallen trees/branches, localised flooding and hazardous travelling conditions in places.

In an update, ESB Networks says storm-force winds associated with Storm Debi caused damage to the electricity network overnight, predominantly in Western, Mid-West and Midlands counties.

Around 80,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power and crews are being deployed once it is safe to do so

"As of 10.30am, 80,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power. Most impacted counties include Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Meath, Cavan and Louth. All available resources are now deployed as Storm Debi clears the country and ESB Networks crews are currently in the process of assessing damage, making the network safe and repairing electricity supply where safe to do so," said a spokesperson.

Crews expect to restore power to the majority of impacted customers throughout Monday. However, due to the scale of the damage to the electricity network, some customers in localised areas will remain without supply overnight.

Separately, a number of flights have been diverted from Dublin Airport to Shannon due to high winds but there have been no cancellations.

Most schools across the country have now re-opened and public transport services are returning on a phased basis across the country with some restrictions - particularly for rail services.