Storm Éowyn: 140,000 still without power as Education Minister warns some schools may switch to remote learning on Monday

NI on alert for snow and ice tonight, with Sunday wind warning Government holds Cobra meeting to discuss storm's impactEngineers sent from England to aid repairs after 'devastating' damage to power networkOver 100 schools suffered damage in stormTyrone school pays tribute to past pupil killed in Donegal storm tragedy

The Met Office alert took effect at 6pm and remains in force until 10am tomorrow.

At that point, a second weather warning for strong winds will kick in, lasting until 7pm on Sunday evening.

It comes as a massive clean-up operation continues after the chaos wreaked by Storm Eowyn.

Around 140,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity this evening after "devastating levels of damage" caused by winds in excess of 100mph.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spoke to the First Minister and deputy First Minister as the Government pledged to support Northern Ireland.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner held talks today with other Government members and Northern Ireland and Scotland's leaders at an emergency Cobra meeting.

A Government spokesperson said: "Ministers discussed the ongoing response to Storm Eowyn, particularly the urgent work under way to reconnect homes which have lost power.

"To support recovery, engineers have been dispatched to Northern Ireland and Scotland, and ministers thanked all frontline workers for their efforts to keep communities safe.

"We continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to provide further support, working closely with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive."

Earlier, Economy Minister Conor Murphy said 52 engineers from England were scheduled to arrive on Saturday, with 30 to be utilised by NIE Networks and 22 to assist ESB Networks in the Irish Republic.

Over 100 schools across Northern Ireland have suffered damage from Storm Eowyn.

Education Minister Paul Givan said in some cases the problems include significant structural damage.

A similar number remain without power this afternoon.

Mr Givan has warned of an impact on how some schools operate on Monday.

"While every effort continues to be made over this weekend to ensure that impacted schools can reopen as soon as practicably possible, it is likely that some schools may need to move to remote learning on Monday," he said.

The storm also brought tragedy, with a young man killed in Co Donegal. Kacper Dudek (20), died after a tree fell on his car in Raphoe. He was a past pupil of Holy Cross College in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

This afternoon, NIE Networks said power had been restored to 145,000 customers, but 140,000 remain without supply.

They also warned people to stay clear of electrical equipment and power lines.

Derek Hynes, managing director for NIE Networks, said: "We are getting reports of members of the public coming into contact with electricity equipment in their bid to help restoration efforts.

This includes cutting trees without realising that there are live power lines in contact with the trees and reports of people rolling up lines.

"There is a serious risk of harm to the public so we would again appeal for the public to stay well clear of any power lines or other equipment you may come across."

Mr Hynes said it could take 10 days to restore power to all customers.

Read our live blog with all the latest weather coverage here: Key updates

Electricity workers from across Europe on way

Givan: Some schools may revert to remote learning

NI school pays tribute to past pupil killed in Donegal

Met Office weather alerts update

Recording breaking gusts of 102mph recorded in NI

House in north Belfast partially collapses

Windows of office blown in

Mark Edwards

Storm Eowyn causes devastation across Northern Ireland

Adrian Rutherford

Starmer pledges support

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken with the First Minister and deputy First Minister and pledged to support storm recovery efforts in NI.

Adrian Rutherford

Government 'ready to support NI'

A government Cobra meeting has been held in response to Storm Eowyn.It was chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden along with the deputy Prime Minister Angela Raynor, the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland and Scotland, ministers from across government, the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the First Minister of Scotland.A government spokesperson said: "Ministers discussed the ongoing response to Storm Eowyn, particularly the urgent work underway to reconnect homes which have lost power. To support recovery, engineers have been dispatched to Northern Ireland and Scotland, and Ministers thanked all front-line workers for their efforts to keep communities safe."We continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to provide further support, working closely with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive." Adrian Rutherford

Road closed

Police have said the Upper Malone Road in south Belfast is closed due to a fallen tree and power lines near the junction with Dunmurry Lane.

The road is expected to be closed for some time. Motorists are advised to avoid the area and seek alternative routes for their journeys. Victoria Steveley

Electricity workers from across Europe on way

NIE has deployed 700 technicians to begin restoring the network and will welcome hundreds more from across the continent as efforts continue in the coming days.

Victoria Steveley

Homeless man avoids jail over storm shelter break-in

Police said they had genuine sympathy for the man who didn't have anywhere to go during the extreme weather. Adrian Rutherford

Givan: Some schools may revert to remote learning

Education Minister Paul Givan said over 100 schools have reported damage to their property ranging from minor damage to fences, missing roof tiles to more significant structural damage.

More than 100 schools are also still without power. It could mean some are unable to open fully on Monday.

"While every effort continues to be made over this weekend to ensure that impacted schools can reopen as soon as practicably possible, it is likely that some schools may need to move to remote learning on Monday," Mr Givan said. EA's School Transport Service plans to operate as normal on Monday, however there may be some disruption or delays to routes as a result of damage to roads Speaking directly to school principals, Mr Givan continued: "I would ask schools to report critical repairs over this weekend through EA's Maintenance Service's Out of Hours Helpline on 028 3751 2345.

NIE have also strongly advised not to approach any electricity equipment and to be extra careful around fallen trees and when assessing damage. "If a decision has been taken to close your school building due to the impact of the storm, please continue to provide learning from home for the children and young people who are unable to attend school on Monday." Adrian Rutherford

Power outages

Some 185,000 customers are without power across Northern Ireland - and this map from NIE Networks mapping the outages gives some insight into the extent of the problem.

Adrian Rutherford

DFM welcomes extra help

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly says the deployment of additional electrical engineers to NI is a "positive development". Adrian Rutherford

70 trees cleared from M2 - O'Dowd

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has given an update on the impact of Storm Eowyn.

There were over 2,300 reported obstructions on the road network during the storm, with hazards remaining on many roads across Northern Ireland, he said. Mr O'Dowd said the work involved in opening just one road can take many hours - for example, 70 trees had to be cleared yesterday to re-open the M2.

"Our teams have also been assisting the health services to clear debris on routes into hospital sites as well as working with NIE Networks and NI Water to gain access to their critical infrastructure," he said. "The clear up has been made more challenging with overnight snow and frost in many areas. Despite this, a gritting service was delivered on the main strategic road network and, again, I thank those who go out to do this work in the freezing weather."

Victoria Steveley

52 engineers from England to help with power restoration efforts

Help is on the way to get power restored to homes across Northern Ireland and the Republic, with 52 engineers being sent from England as part of established mutual aid agreements.Stormont Economy Minister Conor Murphy confirmed the development on Saturday afternoon, following a meeting with the UK Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero minister.Mr Murphy said he had thanked Michael Shanks MP for "ensuring that the English Distribution Companies are prioritising delivery of the established mutual aid agreements between them and NIE Networks."He added: "There are already 52 engineers from England scheduled to arrive today, 30 of which will be utilised by NIE and 22 will assist ESB Networks in the south, with further additional resources to follow."Mr Murphy also met with NIE management to assess what additional support they require and to thank all the NIE engineers and their contractors involved in the restoration efforts. "NIE has been working tirelessly since the end of the Red Alert yesterday afternoon, already restoring the supply to around 100,000 homes," he said."This storm is unprecedented with over 280,000 premises losing supply, compared to the previous worst event in 1998 when 162,000 lost supply. "I discussed with NIE the importance of an effective communication strategy to inform those impacted as to when power will be restored."He added: "I am sure that with 800 people already deployed in the logistics needed to restore supplies, with the addition of engineers from England, Scotland and Wales, that NIE will do all it can to restore the remaining 190,000 homes and businesses as soon as it is possible to do so safely."

Adrian Rutherford

Translink: 'Litany of damage across network'

Train services in Northern Ireland will slowly return to operation this afternoon, Translink has said. The first passenger trains will run on the Lisburn, cross border and Bangor lines phasing in during the course of the afternoon. Clearance work is continuing on the Larne Line and Londonderry Line and these will reopen as soon as safe to do so.John Glass from Translink explained: "The severity of this storm is unprecedented with a litany of infrastructural damage across the network.

We have mobilised our largest ever response to get services up and running again safely for customers. "More than 100 instances of debris and blockages obscuring the line right across the network - which far exceeds that of previous storms - have had to be managed. "This has included around 60 trees uprooted, numerous level crossing barriers damaged and multiple issues with structures and infrastructure along the line needing repair to date." Victoria Steveley

NI school pays tribute to past pupil killed in Donegal

Kacper Dudek (20) was fatally injured when a tree fell on his car during Storm Eowyn on Friday morning. He was a past pupil of Holy Cross College in Strabane.

Adrian Rutherford

NIE warning on fallen power lines

People have been urged to stay clear of electrical equipment and power lines, as 185,000 remain without power in Northern Ireland.At its peak, Storm Eowyn caused around 30% of all premises in Northern Ireland to lose power due to the high gusts. Derek Hynes, managing director for NIE Networks, advised: "We are getting reports of members of the public coming into contact with electricity equipment in their bid to help restoration efforts. This includes cutting trees without realising that there are live power lines in contact with the trees and reports of people rolling up lines."There is a serious risk of harm to the public so we would again appeal for the public to stay well clear of any power lines or other equipment you may come across. "Be mindful that trees and other infrastructure could be in contact with live power lines even if not immediately obvious."

Adrian Rutherford

Power off, game off

Among those affected by power cuts are Armagh City FC.

Their NIFL Championship clash v Limavady United has just been called off due to no power supply at the stadium. Adrian Rutherford

Trains update

As of 11am today, all train services remain suspended in Northern Ireland. Translink has said valid train tickets can be used for travel on bus services while local train lines remain closed.

Adrian Rutherford

Community centres opened

A series of community assistance hubs have been opened across Northern Ireland for people left without power.Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has opened three centres today and tomorrow, all between 10am and 4pm.These are: * Seven Towers Leisure Centre, Ballymena* Larne Leisure Centre* And Carrickfergus Amphitheatre Leisure Centre

Causeway Coast council has also opened the Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre. Its hours are 8.15am to 3.30pm today, and 10am to 3:30pm tomorrow, Sunday. Adrian Rutherford

Met Office weather alerts update

The Met Office has updated its other weather warning for Sunday.A yellow alert is in place for strong winds affecting Northern Ireland, potentially disrupting transport and infrastructure.The alert is now in place from 10am to 7pm - previously it was 8am to 3pm.More details here[1] from Abdullah Sabri and Victoria Steveley.

Adrian Rutherford

Celtic clash off

Celtic have announced their Scottish Premiership game v Dundee is off after damage to the club's stadium.

Adrian Rutherford

Icy roads warning

The PSNI has warned motorists of closures in place on the Craigantlet Road, Newtownards, this morning due to icy conditions.

Closures are in place at its junctions with the Ballybarnes Road and the Holywood Road.

A large fallen tree in Dromore, Co Down.

Storm Eowyn arrives in Northern Ireland

References

1. ^ here (www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk)