Damage caused by Storm Eleanor
Northern Ireland is waking up to the damage caused by Storm Eleanor.
Last updated 3rd Jan 2018
Wind gusts of up to 90 miles per hour battered parts of the province last night, with fallen trees and flying debris bringing down power lines.
The south and east of the province took the brunt of the storm, with dozens of roads closed by fallen trees. Motorists are being advised to allow extra time for journeys and to drive with caution.
A factory building at Harland and Wolff is one of the most high-profile casualties of Storm Eleanor after a sizeable chunk of roof was ripped off.
The mammoth mobile building at Harland and Wolff (H&W) Heavy Industries in east Belfast was not in use at the time.
It was intended for painting projects, a spokesman for the company said.
H&W was once one of the world's leading shipbuilders - it built the Titanic - and currently focuses on offshore energy and steel fabrication.
The spokesman said the damage affected the outer skin of the roof.
By 1pm on Wednesday NIE said electricity had been restored to 20,000 homes, but around 2,500 were still without power as engineers continued to work on the damaged network.
Julia Carson, NIE Networks Communications Manager says the repair process is progressing well. “The damage caused by Storm Eleanor includes powerlines brought down by falling trees and poles broken by the high winds.
“We have been working in difficult conditions since yesterday evening to restore power to over 20,000 customers and we’ll continue to respond to reports of damage and reconnect supplies as quickly and safely as possible.
"Our main incident centre in Craigavon and Local Incident Centres in Northern Ireland are open and will co-ordinate the local repair process until all customers are back on supply. We have mobilised emergency teams from northern counties to assist in restoring power in areas where the network was damaged by Storm Eleanor.
“If you are without power and you have not yet reported the disruption to NIE Networks, please report the fault online at nienetworks.co.uk or call our Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Put safety first and if you do see any trees down across powerlines or broken electricity poles, keep away and call NIE Networks immediately.
“We may need to take customers off supply to facilitate repairs but please keep an eye on Twitter @NIElectricity and facebook for further updates.”
In the Republic high winds left at least 55,000 properties with no power as games swept in from the Atlantic.
Flooding hit Galway city, Salthill, Oranmore and Clarinbridge as high tides combined with gales gusting to 130kmh during rush hour. Some cars were abandoned in Oranmore as roads were blocked while others in a car park in Salthill were partially submerged. Trees, branches and other flying debris were reported as having brought down power lines and poles.
ESB Networks said that counties worst affected in the Republic included Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan. In Gort, Co Galway households were warned about potential disruption to water supplies after power cuts hit the local pumping station.
In Galway, streets around the docks were flooded after high tides breached defences and inundated the areas around the Spanish Arch, Claddagh, Dominick Street, Quay Street and nearby streets. Water was more than one foot deep in places.
The strongest winds have now passed - but the weather warning remains in place until 6pm