A group of 70 Irish workers has been helping to restore power to the storm-hit Leiria region, with their arrival celebrated by grateful local residents. The team, comprising employees of ESB, the Irish public energy company, and subcontractors, was asked to volunteer for storm repair work in Portugal.
Cormac Kerry, a worker from Wexford, told Lusa news agency that the team’s journey began by boat from Ireland to Cherbourg in France or Bilbao in Spain, before travelling by road to Fátima, where they have been based for two weeks.
“It took two or three days to get here, and then it will take another three days to get back. In total, it was a week of travelling and two weeks of work,” said Kerry, taking a break in Leiria.
The work begins each day with a briefing and ends after sunset, often running a little later to ensure tasks are completed. “Each team handles an average of two locations per day,” Kerry explained. Despite having worked in other natural disaster areas, he admitted he had never seen destruction on such a scale before.
Speaking about the locals, Kerry praised their remarkable patience, having endured more than three weeks without electricity. “People are very patient. I’ve never seen anyone so patient after being without power for so long,” he noted.
Despite being among the poorest communities in the region, where many residents have limited financial resources, Kerry and his team are always offered “coffee, biscuits, bread and even Port wine” in gratitude. “They are very generous, and many are quite moved when they see us,” he added.
For Tom Cavanagh, the work has been deeply rewarding. “When we do our job, and the lights come back on, people are overwhelmed with emotion. The other day, a lady was crying as she hugged us all,” he said.
Reflecting on the experience, Cavanagh likened the reception to scenes in war films: “Sometimes, I feel like those American soldiers in liberated France, with people coming out to say, ‘Thank God you are here. We’ve been liberated.’”
Patrick Fleming, from Kildare, also noticed the deep appreciation from locals. “They’ve been without power for so long, and we’re very pleased to help,” he said.
Dennis Dullea, head of the ESB team, highlighted the challenge of adapting to a different network with varying regulations. He acknowledged the helpfulness of local e-Redes employees, who assisted in getting the repairs underway. Even Dullea, who had worked on disaster responses in France, was taken aback by the widespread damage in Leiria. “Here, it’s everywhere, all over the place,” he noted.
Despite the satisfaction of helping, Kerry admitted some sadness at leaving. “We’re leaving, but there is much more work to be done. We’d love to continue, but we have a lot to do in Ireland,” he said. “We’ve given everything we could here.”
