The country will be talking about Storm Éowyn for a while.
With a peak of 768,000 people having lost power according to the ESB, and over 200,000 people without water at its height according to Uisce Éireann, the effects of the storm has people reflecting on what they can do differently to better prepare for them.
Severe storms are likely to become more frequent in Ireland as the effects of climate change become more apparent, and January’s storm was a stark reminder of that.
But what can we do to better prepare for periods of power outages, restricted water supplies and potential storm damage?
There are simple things, such as investing in a good power bank and ensuring that it is charged up, filling thermos flasks with boiling water, or even just having a few hot water bottles filled with boiling water to ensure heat, for a while at least.
Try to use up the food in your freezer in advance of a storm, especially if you are likely to lose power for a prolonged period, even if just for the simple fact that it will reduce waste.
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to food is what you have available that does not need to be cooked, frozen or refrigerated.
Think bread, butter, honey, fruit, crisps, and cereal - it may be bland but if you are in a bind, you will be grateful for it. Some plant-based milks do not require refrigeration either, so it may be worth stocking up on those if you are so inclined.
Torches, head torches, and batteries are another worthwhile investment, and some power banks will recharge your head torch too.
And of course, candles. Make sure you have candles at hand - somewhere easy to find - and matches. Even battery-powered candles can be handy, just don’t forget to buy the batteries, and leave them somewhere easily accessible.
Plus, ensure any chargeable devices such as phones, laptops, earphones, are fully charged in advance, so you can save the power bank’s power as much as possible.
On the topic of power banks, if you need your laptop, it may be worthwhile investing in a power bank that is strong enough to charge it – as a normal phone-charging power bank will not be strong enough.
If you have a bath, fill it with water in advance of the storm to flush the toilet in case you lose water, and think about investing in a battery radio so you can keep informed about what is going on around your local area and country wide.
Cash is another thing. Many people have gone cashless, especially since Covid-19, but it may be worth keeping a bit of cash at hand for times when you may need to make purchases after a storm, when card machines could be down.
Keep all pets inside, even if they do not usually stay in overnight. If you would not camp in the weather, why put an animal through it?
Also, ensure you have enough food to keep your furry friends fed, and potentially think about investing in a light up collar or something like that so you know where your pet is when the power goes out (this piece of advice comes from someone who recently got a new cat that is “impossible to find in the dark and runs around like he’s had several cups of coffee”).
Those who had an open fire or stove in their house during the storm and in its aftermath were happy to have them. They ensured the house stayed warm, even if it was just one room, and provided another light source when there was no power.
Plus, check in on any vulnerable people you know, elderly or otherwise. Neighbourhood watch kind of programmes, or even just neighbourhood response plans organised within communities, with the parish council for example, would make things easier for everyone.
Having one central place to go, like this Roscommon GAA club have done, can alleviate a litany of issues, such as the inability to wash, cook, work, charge power banks, phones/devices, or even just keep the children occupied.
On that note, if your neighbourhood has a WhatsApp group, stay in it, even if you find it annoying at times. You can have it muted, but in times where you may be reliant on neighbours, or vice versa, they can be a saviour.
Even having another cooking source, such as a gas hob or camping stove, at hand can make things easier when the electricity goes out. Those of whom had no electricity for days can still cook with a gas hob, but ensure you have bottles or cans of gas in advance of the storm, as they are likely to sell out the day after, when everyone is using them.
If you are purchasing gas for cooking, it may also be worth looking into getting a gas canister powered heater, if you are worried about the house being cold.
Generators

Since Storm Éowyn, DE Power Solutions have been “inundated” with people contacting them from all over the country, particularly in rural areas in the west, to purchase generators, Gary O’Shaughnessy says.
The price range for their generators are between €700 or €800 up to €10,000 or €15,000.
“The only solution when you have a power outage really, for someone that’s out for two or three weeks, is a generator,” he says.
Some generators, such as those that would cost €700-€800, would run the lights in a house, charge phones and maybe run the heating if the house’s system is gas or oil.
However, for people with air-to-water electrical heating systems, they would need a substantial generator, around 10kVA or 15kVA, which would be more expensive, costing anywhere between €7,000 and €12,000.
“That’s kind of catching people out now,” Mr O’Shaughnessy told BreakingNews.ie. But people are paying it, he said. The average spend is around €5,000.
Petrol generators are more expensive to run than diesel generators, which can run with green diesel, which is substantially cheaper.
A typical household generator with petrol could cost around €15 a day to run, while a diesel one could cost around €5 or €6.
“I’ve never heard anyone give out about the price of it, the people that are giving out are the people that are in the dark and have no generator,” Mr O’Shaughnessy says, “I think people would spend €100 a day on petrol if they thought they had power.
“They don’t mind filling it every two hours once it keeps the show on the road.”
However, to safely install a generator, you need a qualified electrician to fit a changeover switch to your fuseboard to isolate the ESB and switch the electric over to the generator.
“You have to do that because you can’t run them both together, you must isolate the ESB just in case, if there’s a guy working, repairing the lines, you could electrocute an ESB engineer – you need to completely isolate your house with what we call a manual changeover switch,” Mr O’Shaughnessy explains.
You could use an extension lead to connect to the generator instead of connecting it to your fuse board, if you wanted to just use it for charging devices or electric heaters and the like, if an electrician was not available.