Thousands without power in Northern Ireland and roads 'impassable' after Storm Isha hits

Thousands of people were left without power and roads impassable after Storm Isha hit Northern Ireland.

NIE says there was "widespread damage" to the electricity network after strong winds and rain battered the region on Sunday evening and overnight.

The worst affected areas are Dungannon, Downpatrick, Enniskillen, Newry and Omagh, however faults have been reported throughout Northern Ireland.

There has also been a serious crash in Limavady. And a number of trees in Northern Ireland made famous by the TV series Game Of Thrones have been damaged and felled by Storm Isha. Work is being carried out to clear up at the Dark Hedges site in Co Antrim. In the Republic over 250,000 homes and businesses were left without power.

Two people died in separate road incidents. A man aged in his 40s died in Claremorris in Co Mayo at around 6.15pm on Sunday. A woman aged in her 20s, who was a passenger in a van, died after it hit a tree in Carnalogue, Co Louth at 1.50am on Monday.

NIE said it had mobilised teams right across Northern Ireland saying they would be doing everything to restore power as quickly as possible.

"However, the significant level of damage and the active weather warnings in place until Wednesday, mean it is likely that this will be a multi-day event," NIE said.

According to Traffic Watch NI, in excess of 1,000 obstructions were reported throughout the entire road network since Sunday afternoon.

Police said emergency services responded to a "significant number" of fallen trees, power outages and other calls for assistance due to the weather.

They urged road users to "continue to exercise extreme caution".

A PSNI spokesperson added: “Between 3.30pm on Sunday, 21st January and 2am on Monday, 22nd January, officers dealt with over 1,300 calls from the public, approximately 600 of these related to the storm.

“There is also a continued risk of significant debris on the road network as wind speeds remain high throughout Monday. 

“In light of this we are urging road users to exercise extreme caution and be prepared for obstructions.

“If you must travel, please bear the prevailing conditions in mind and also be advised of longer travel times for journeys."

One person was injured by fallen debris after scaffolding became unsafe in Belfast city centre on Sunday afternoon.

The incident happened in the Castle Lane area of the city and the person was treated by emergency services at the scene.

An amber Met Office weather alert was in place overnight until 6am on Monday when it was replaced by a yellow level warning.

"Strong winds associated with Storm Isha are likely to bring some disruption to travel and utilities across the UK on Sunday and Monday," forecasters said.

The Department for Infrastructure said that despite contingency measures, public workers’ strike action may disrupt any responses to incidents such as debris on roads and floods.

It said all parts of Northern Ireland are expected to be affected but the strongest winds will be in the early hours of Monday around the coast and in exposed locations.

Police said a multi-agency response to the storm is continuing on Monday morning.

“We would also ask property owners to check for storm damage and ensure any such damage is secured, only when it safe to do so," a spokesperson added.

“A multi-agency response continues to deal with the aftermath and recovery from Storm Isha and we thank the public for their continued patience and understanding.

“We remind the public to report non-emergencies online or by 101."

A spokesperson for NIE added: “We would ask that people do not approach broken power lines or damaged poles or electrical equipment and to please report any damage immediately on 03457 643 643. 

"We have additional engineers, call handlers and support staff helping to restore supplies and to provide regular updates to customers.”

“Powercheck on the NIE Networks website is another excellent resource for providing customers with reliable and real time information about a power cut and the status of restoration.

"Alternatively, customers can follow us on social media for regular updates and information.”

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