Storm Boero stranded guests and staff at Rusty Beg Island Resort & Spa, where employees cared for people unable to leave as transport arrangements were made. The storm also left thousands of homes, farms and businesses without power in Ireland, while further outages were reported in Northern Ireland.
Olivia Miller, a London-based flight attendant who was attending a wedding on the island, said she was due to fly to South Africa on Monday night.
“It didn’t feel like real life, but everyone was great, so we made the most of it,” she said.
“Yesterday, I had some drinks to kill time and ate some really delicious barbecue.”
Rusty Beg Island Resort & Spa staff looked after guests who were unable to leave the island during the storm.
The hotel’s managing director, Michael Cadden, said: “We are pleased with the way our staff and customers have treated us.”
“The ferocity and length of this storm was unlike anything we have ever experienced on this island.
“This has been a crisis, but we are currently arranging transportation and getting all of our staff and customers home safely.”
Guests sheltered as storm continued
Bartender Kacper Dymarczyk was trapped on the island with customers and continued working through the storm.
“It was great to see other people drinking,” he said with a laugh.
Dymarczyk added that there was “no fear” of running out because “there is always enough inventory.”
Power outages reported in Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland, an ESB spokesperson said “many homes, farms and businesses” were still without power on Monday morning. Teams were working to restore electricity to all affected properties.
About 5,000 homes, farms and businesses remained without power in the Republic of Ireland on Sunday night.
A wind and rain warning was also issued for most counties along the south and west coasts of the Republic of Ireland on Monday night.
Weather conditions are expected to improve significantly on Wednesday, with calm and sunny weather forecast.
Several faults developed overnight in Northern Ireland and were visible on the NIE power check tool. They were not thought to be related to the storm.
The NIE said around 12,500 homes were without power at one stage after Storm Boero.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
