The Galway Volunteer Centre are urgently looking for volunteers to help run emergency response hubs across Galway County in the wake of Storm Éowyn.
Anyone interested can contact the Galway Volunteer Centre on (091) 581727 or info@volunteergalway.ie
The emergency response hubs in the city are as follows: Knocknacarra Community Centre, Westside Community Centre, Renmore Community Centre, and the Homeless Services Day Centre (Seamus Quirke Road).
An interactive map displaying the emergency response hubs across the county can be viewed at: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8830d916b58f4465a40aa5cb90725812
There are a number of hubs operating across the county, such as in Athenry/Oranmore, Ballinasloe, Connemara, Loughrea, and Tuam Municipal Districts.
The hubs offer a variety of services, with the most common being charging facilities, tea, coffee and hot water, toilets, and WiFi. A select few others are offering shower and kitchen facilities.
As of 31 January 2025, an estimated 57,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power, according to RTÉ.
This comes after Storm Éowyn made its way across Ireland, the Isle of Man, the UK, and Norway over a week ago, in the early hours of 24 January, with gusts of 183kmh recorded in Mace Head, Galway. Met Éireann had only predicted winds of 130kmh.
Emma van Oosterhout is the Editor in Chief of Student Independent News for 2025. She is a final year Global Media and History student at University of Galway. She is from Corofin, Co. Galway. Emma was previously a News Editor for the year 2023/24. Emma has written for SIN since 2023.