Casualties, Major Power Outages After Storm Lashes Ireland

Two people have died and about 200,000 others are left without power after Storm Ali wreaked havoc on Northern Ireland, on Wednesday.

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The first-named storm of the season, in the United Kingdom, lashed Northern Ireland and Scotland with winds that reached up 225 kilometers per hour, causing extensive damage across the region. UK Meteorological Office official, Alex Deakin, said the winds from Ali were the strongest on record in Northern Ireland, since 1880.

“We are grateful for the patience of all of the customers who lost power due to Storm Ali. The storm’s strong gusts, combined with trees still in leaf, caused considerable damage to the electricity network and left us with faults which were time-consuming and labor-intensive to repair,” a spokesperson for NIE Networks, said about the electricity restoration process.

NIE Networks deployed teams and equipment Friday into the worst-hit areas of Mid Ulster and the South East. “Our teams will continue to work through the night until the last customer has power restored,” the spokesman added.

A cruise liner in Scotland was tasked to rescue several people who were battling heavy rain along with the devastating winds.

More than 50 flights in and out of Dublin were canceled.

A second-named storm Bronagh is also an active system that has brought some winds with it.