Power Outages and Disruptions as Storm Darragh Strikes UK and Ireland
London, The Gulf Observer: Tens of thousands of people across the UK and nearly 400,000 in Ireland have been left without power as Storm Darragh made landfall on Saturday, bringing widespread damage and disruption. The storm has caused significant power outages, affecting homes, businesses, and essential services.
In Ireland, over 370,000 homes and businesses were left without power, with crews from the Electricity Supply Board working tirelessly to restore electricity. Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Simon Harris confirmed the scale of the damage, emphasizing that power restoration would take time and that other agencies were collaborating to assist in the recovery efforts. A red wind warning has been issued for seven regions in Ireland, alongside a nationwide orange warning for the storm’s continuing impact.
In the UK, the storm caused widespread outages, with more than 55,000 customers in southwestern England, southern Wales, and the West Midlands affected. The National Grid reported that power crews were working around the clock to address the damage, and emergency warnings were sent to millions of people, marking the largest use of the emergency cellphone alert system outside of a test scenario.
Ahead of the storm, the UK government issued warnings for about 3 million people in Wales and southwestern England to stay indoors, citing life-threatening conditions due to flying debris, falling trees, and large waves along coastal areas. The warnings followed a rare red alert issued by the UK’s Meteorological Office, the most serious level, for strong winds.
Disruptions to travel have also been severe, with multiple flights and train services delayed. Heathrow Airport reported hundreds of cancellations, with some flights diverted to Germany due to the storm’s impact. Additionally, the Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool was called off due to dangerous weather conditions.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer assured the public that the government was coordinating with local authorities and emergency agencies to ensure the safety of those affected by the storm.
