Longford TD calls for urgent action following Storm Éowyn: 'Our communities deserve better'

Following the chaos and disruption caused by Storm Éowyn, Micheál Carrigy TD has called for immediate action to address the significant infrastructure failures that left many households in Longford and across the country without water, electricity, and WiFi for extended periods.

Deputy Carrigy stated, “People in our community cannot be expected to endure days without basic necessities like water and WiFi. Water is a fundamental need, and internet connectivity is no longer a luxury—it’s a vital tool for communication, work, and accessing safety measures in homes. These outages are not just inconvenient; they are a serious risk to vulnerable people in our society.”

Also read: UPDATE: Location of alternative water supplies for Longford customers hit by outages and disruption

Deputy Carrigy has outlined several urgent measures that need to be taken:

• Irish Water to invest in generators: “Water systems should never go down. Irish Water must invest in backup generators to ensure continuity of supply during storms or power outages.”

• Internet Providers to install backup generators: “Many people rely on WiFi for essential communication, work, and even health and safety systems. Internet service providers must step up and install generators at their key sites to prevent prolonged outages.”

• Grant Scheme for household generators: “Due to the nature of our overhead power lines, we need to support households by offering a grant scheme to help with the cost of purchasing generators. This would empower families to take action during severe weather events instead of being left completely powerless.”

• Government Buildings as Emergency Hubs: “We also need to ensure that government buildings are made available for people to use in the days following these outages. These buildings could provide access to water, power, heating, and internet for those who are most affected. This would be a simple and effective way to provide relief to vulnerable people and families during emergencies.”

Deputy Carrigy also acknowledged the vital work of ESB, Irish Water, Local Authority and Civil Defence crews during and after Storm Éowyn but emphasised that more must be done to ensure the country can function during and after extreme weather events.

Also read: Storm Éowyn Longford: It's an ill wind that blows no good

“As a government, we must recognise that the current system is broken. We cannot let our communities bear the brunt of these failures storm after storm. It is time to work together to find real solutions to these ongoing issues and future-proof our infrastructure.”