Storm Éowyn crossed Ireland on Friday the 24th of January 2025, bringing record-breaking wind gusts of over 184 km/h. It marked the first time Met Éireann issued a red weather alert for every county. As Ireland faced one of the most destructive storms in living memory, communities rallied together like never before to support one another.
Throughout this summary of the ‘Review of Storm Éowyn’ carried out by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, you’ll find links to additional resources. These are designed to help you strengthen your preparedness for future extreme weather events.
Storm Éowyn exposed how dependent daily life is on electricity, with nearly 770,000 homes and businesses losing power, accounting for roughly 30% of the total population. The power outages had a significant knock-on effect on the water supply in many areas. Uisce Éireann (UE) reported that 130,000 customers across 51,000 premises were left without water. The review highlighted the need for additional backup generators for essential services such as hospitals and water treatment plants. It also recommended establishing Local Critical Infrastructure Groups to improve coordination between ESB networks, UÉ and local councils.
The impact of these power failures extended even further, with the loss of electricity disrupting broadband and mobile networks. This made communication even more difficult. For many people, they could only access updates via car radios or local word of mouth. As a result, the daily National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) briefings, along with national and local radio stations became vital sources of information. However, vulnerable and isolated individuals were significantly harder to reach. Many organisations noted the difficultly of maintaining up-to-date lists of those needing extra support. Vulnerable customers are encouraged to register with ESB and UÉ for priority support during service disruptions. Registration can be completed by contacting your relevant suppliers.
Amid these challenges, local response efforts became a vital source of support. Emergency hubs played a crucial role during and after the storm, providing community members with essential services such as phone charging, hot food, clean water, and updates on recovery work. While these hubs proved invaluable, the review recommends developing them further into Community Support Centres (CSCs) so that every county can activate them quickly in times of need. A new CSC guide has since been developed and circulated to help local authorities and communities set up these centres efficiently.
In addition to improving physical supports, the review emphasised the importance of better access to information and financial assistance. Enhancing communication about schemes such as the Department of Social Protection’s Humanitarian Assistance Scheme was identified as an important area for improvement, ensuring that those most in need can access supports efficiently.
Looking ahead, the review places responsibility on citizens to build resilience. Every household is encouraged to plan to cope for at least 72 hours without power or water. For example, by keeping ready to eat food that does not require refrigeration, and a backup cooking appliance that does not require electricity. To support this effort, the report recommends developing a national awareness campaign like ‘Be Winter Ready’ to promote practical steps for household and community preparedness across the country.
Strom Éowyn was a powerful reminder of Ireland’s vulnerability to extreme weather and the importance of preparedness at all levels of society. While the storm caused major disruptions, it also demonstrated the strength of communities and the effectiveness of coordinated response efforts across the country. Despite this, there remain areas of improvement; from strengthening critical infrastructure and backup power systems to improving communication with vulnerable people. By learning from these challenges and acting on lessons from Storm Éowyn, Ireland can build a more coordinated, resilient and better-prepared society. This will ensure our country can face future emergencies with confidence.
