Storm Darragh as bad as Storm Ophelia says main Ireland's electricity supplier

Storm Darragh is similar in impact to Storm Ophelia according to the ESB as it led to nearly 400,000 customers with out electricity some of home will not have electricity for a week.

Workers with the State-owned utility have been working through Saturday to repair the damage done by the Status Red Atlantic storm which the ESB says caused extensive damage to the country's electricity network.

The ESB said that as at 8:45pm Satuday, about 120,000 homes, farms and businesses remained without power following extremely strong and gusty winds. A statement said that ESB Networks teams restored power to 275,000 customers over the course of the day.

The power company explained its impact which will last for days to come for some customers.

"Storm Darragh is similar in impact to Storm Ophelia in 2017, which left 385,000 customers without power at the peak but with more widespread impact across the country.

"All ESB Networks crews and partner contractors will continue working into tonight to safely restore power to as many customers as possible in challenging conditions, before mobilising again at first light tomorrow morning. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Clean up in Laois.

"Large numbers of customers impacted by Storm Darragh have had their power restored throughout today but significant numbers may be without supply for a number of days. Due to the severity and significant scale of the damage some customers could be without power for approximately a week. Assessment of the extent of damage is continuing," said the ESB.

The utility said it is important that any impacted customers who use electrically powered medical devices contact their healthcare professional to make alternative arrangements if necessary.

"Given the scale of the damage and the dynamic nature of the event, we will continue to confirm restoration times for customers and we will update www.PowerCheck.ie as information is confirmed. We advise customers to sign up for our “Keep me Updated” service for power outages on www.PowerCheck.ie to receive status updates directly.

"Our Customer Contact Centre Agents will be supporting customers throughout Storm Darragh but will not be in a position to provide outage information until the network assessment has been fully conducted.

"We acknowledge the disruption to family and commercial life this causes, and thank customers across the country, especially those who will remain without power over the coming days, for their patience as our crews work to safely restore power," it said.

The ESB urges anyone who encounters fallen wires or damaged electricity network not to touch or approach these as they are live and extremely dangerous. Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999.

Laois County Council is urging the public and motorists to remain vigilant as the clean-up continues after Storm Darragh. Council staff and the Laois Fire and Rescue Service has dealt with multiple callouts.