A tragic incident has emerged following Storm Éowyn, which resulted in the failure of crucial medical equipment, leading to a man’s death. The alarming details were shared in the Dáil, Ireland’s lower house of parliament, by Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh, who was informed by a concerned constituent.
The man, who was using sleep apnoea equipment among other medical devices, lost power during the storm, rendering his life-saving technology inoperable. Conway-Walsh conveyed her deep condolences to the man’s family in Donegal during a session in the Dáil, emphasising the urgent need for action in the wake of the storm. She stated, “I have been frightened all week that something was going to happen, that somebody was going to die as a result of this in Mayo.”
This tragic event follows another fatal incident during the storm, where 20-year-old Kacper Dudek lost his life after a tree fell on his vehicle in County Donegal on the morning of the storm, January 24.
The Dáil’s discussion on the storm’s impact was significant as it marked the first meeting since the appointment of a new taoiseach (Irish prime minister). Conway-Walsh elaborated on the circumstances surrounding the man’s death, recounting how his father could not access his medical equipment when he needed it most. “When he went then to take his father to the doctor, he died in front of him. And that is the tragedy of it, and that is how urgent this is,” she stressed.
In the wake of Storm Éowyn, which unleashed record-breaking wind gusts exceeding 183 km/h along Ireland’s west coast, electricity workers from Northern Ireland have joined restoration efforts in the Republic of Ireland. Over 750,000 customers were initially left without power due to the storm’s devastation, although this number has since decreased to thousands as repair work continues.
As of now, about 180 workers from Northern Ireland have crossed the border to assist local ESB crews, contributing to the ongoing efforts to restore electricity to homes, businesses, and farms affected by the storm. The cooperation between Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) and ESB Networks has been vital in addressing the widespread outages.
A spokesperson from ESB Networks remarked, “NIE Networks will be deployed to the most severely impacted border counties, including Cavan, Monaghan, and Leitrim to assist with network repair in the coming days.” This mutual aid is crucial, particularly in remote areas where restoration is complicated by challenging conditions and the prevalence of isolated rural homes.
The collaborative response includes support from specialist crews from various countries, including England, Scotland, Wales, Finland, Germany, France, Norway, and Austria. Following the storm, approximately one million customers across the entire Island of Ireland experienced power outages.
In summary, the tragic death linked to the power outages during Storm Éowyn highlights the critical importance of ensuring reliable electricity supply, especially for vulnerable individuals reliant on medical equipment.
