“It has been widely accepted that Storm Éowyn was the worst storm to hit the nation in living memory. And people have been incredibly patient as emergency crews work around the clock to restore power and water supplies. But as the days go on, it is now clear that many thousands of families are facing prolonged outages, with some reconnection estimates now stretching beyond another week.
“From what I have seen myself, given the scale of the damage to infrastructure, the targets being set by ESB Networks are realistic, if not optimistic. The reality is that many affected areas will likely take at least as long as predicted to restore, if not longer.
“That is why the Government must step in and put an emergency accommodation scheme in place. Families who have been without basic facilities to cook, wash, or heat their homes for a week, now staring down another, need a solution.
“The Cabinet should convene an emergency meeting without delay and sign off on a straightforward, accessible scheme that allows those affected to avail of hotel accommodation in their local area. This should not be a drawn-out, bureaucratic mess. Those affected should be able to use their MPRN number to access the scheme and the costs should be shared between the State and ESB Networks.
“We have seen before that when there is political will, solutions can be delivered. When Russia invaded Ukraine, Ireland welcomed over 100,000 refugees and provided emergency accommodation at a cost of over €2.5 billion. That was the morally right thing to do, but now, the morally right thing to do for Irish families who have been left stranded in the cold is to show the same urgency in response to their needs.
“The bottom line is simple: thousands of people are suffering through no fault of their own, mainly in rural areas. The Government must act now. The emergency crews are doing everything they can, but for the families still left without power and water, the State has a duty to step in and ensure they have access to the most basic necessities.”
“The new Government has an opportunity now to take the first step in showing they respect the people of Rural Ireland. If they fail to do so, I fear what will be coming down the line.
