Sigh of relief as power cuts only serious Lorenzo fallout

BUSINESS AS USUAL Bin men out working on Achill Island at 8.30am this morning.

ESB working on restoring power to 500 customers in east Mayo after Lorenzo

Anton McNulty

ESB crews are currently working to restore power to close to 500 households in east Mayo following a major power cut during Storm Lorenzo last night.
Many households in the Kilkelly area of east Mayo have been left without power since last night, with crews currently on the ground to restore the power. ESB Networks stated that up to 412 customers near Kilkelly were affected by a service fault this morning and that it hopes to have the service restore around 3pm this afternoon.
There were also isolated power cuts in other parts of east Mayo, with over 70 customers losing power on Thursday evening at 9.28pm. Electricity is not expected to be restored to these customers until 5pm this evening.
Mayo was one of the counties most affected by power outages, with faults reported in Castlebar, Claremorris and parts of Achill. The majority have been have been restored, but crews are also working to restore power to 19 customers near Pontoon and 13 customers near Belmullet.
Despite preparing to face the brunt of Storm Lorenzo’s power on Thursday evening and Friday morning, Mayo escaped relatively unscathed, with the power shortages the main lingering concern around the county.
“The effects of storm Lorenzo overnight have thankfully not caused any significant damage across the county,” stated Head of Communications at Mayo County Council, Martina Hughes.
“However, Mayo County Council crews have been out since early morning dealing with incidents of trees down, strewn branches and debris, which have been reported in various locations around the county. With the benefit of daylight, a full assessment of all areas will be carried out by Mayo County Council personnel.
“As a result of the wind overnight, and as the yellow warning remains in place this morning, we would urge the public to continue to exercise caution as you go about your daily routines,” she said.
Met Éireann reduced the Status Orange wind warning for Mayo to one of Status Yellow with southwest winds averaging speeds of 50 to 55km per hour with occasional gusts of 90 to 100km per hour. The warning is in place until lunchtime this afternoon.