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East Clare Residents Claim Politicians Have “Disappeared” In The Wake Of Storm Éowyn

Residents of an East Clare village claim their political representatives have “disappeared” as communities grapple with the aftermath of Storm Éowyn.

Five days on from what’s being called the deadliest storm in living memory here, many in the county who are without power or water say they’re struggling to get answers on when normality will resume.

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While homes and businesses right across Clare encountered the devastating effects of last Friday’s storm, those in rural parts of the county found themselves in a particularly vulnerable position with little to mitigate the force of the winds.

A major clean-up operation was conducted throughout the weekend to clear fallen branches and trees from roadways, while those whose property had been affected found themselves having to shoulder the responsibility themselves.

O’Callaghan’s Mills farmer and Clare Secretary of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association, Martin McMahon says it’s the worst storm he’s seen since Hurricane Debbie in which 18 people died on Irish soil.

Hundreds of people in Tulla and surrounding areas lost power on Friday and many have yet to find out when it will return, with suggestions that it could be as late as next Tuesday or Wednesday for a small number.

The issue was compounded on Monday morning when an electrical fault took power away from a large portion of the town’s homes and businesses, but it’s understood this issue has since been resolved.

Siobhan Gallagher of the Briar Café and Colourful Creations Garden Centre in Tulla says locals have been very resilient in the face of widespread power and water outages.

In Feakle, meanwhile, the majority of residents haven’t had electricity for more than a couple of hours at a time since Friday.

As ESB crews traverse the region restoring power, Gary Pepper of Pepper’s Bar and Restaurant says their work is to be applauded, but insists communication must improve.

Denise and Tony Harkin live on the Main Street in Feakle and haven’t had electricity since the onset of the storm.

Denise says she’s disappointed that their elected representatives haven’t made a greater effort to keep constituents informed in relation to expected power restoration times.

You can listen to the full interview here:

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