Community Assistance Centres open across Northern Ireland for storm power cut customers

NIE Networks opened seven Community Assistance Centres across Northern Ireland from 4pm to 8pm on Wednesday 24 January for customers affected by power cuts, the network operator announced that day¹. The centres offered staff on hand to answer queries, a warm drink and device charging¹.

The seven centres were at Ards Blair Mayne Leisure Centre, Brownlow Centre in Craigavon, Cookstown Leisure Centre, Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre in Ballymoney, Lakeland Forum in Enniskillen, Lisburn Leisureplex and Omagh Leisure Complex¹. NIE Networks said full details and addresses could be found on its website and social media channels¹.

Ronan McKeown, NIE Networks Customer Relations Director, said the scale of the damage and continuing weather warnings meant restoration could run over several days:

He also asked the public to keep away from damaged electricity equipment and to report damage to the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643¹. The announcement did not give the number of customers without power, the areas worst affected or a timetable for restoration beyond the warning that it could take a number of days; those figures have not been reported in the pages reviewed¹.

Why it matters for households

Households across Northern Ireland without electricity on 24 January could use the centres for warmth, a hot drink, charging of devices and direct answers from NIE Networks staff, between 4pm and 8pm that day¹. The operator's statement indicates that some customers should expect to remain off supply for more than a day, without specifying how many or where¹. NIE Networks advises the public to stay clear of damaged electricity equipment and to report incidents of damage on 03457 643 643¹. For households that depend on electricity for medical equipment or other essential needs, the network's extra help arrangements during long outages set out what operators provide; the Northern Ireland page covers how NIE Networks reports and handles outages, and reporting a loss of electricity explains the 105 service. General guidance on what to do when the electricity goes off and on storms and the electricity network is also available.

What happens next

NIE Networks said restoration to all customers could take a number of days, with active weather warnings in place until Wednesday 24 January¹. No further centre opening times or restoration dates have been announced in the pages reviewed¹.