As Ireland braces itself for Storm Chandra, homeowners are being urged to prepare for power cuts that may take place in the coming days. The advice, from the team at Gallagher, is that you make it a priority to understand what cover your home insurance offers for any damage or loss that arises during the storm, including from any possible power outages – such as the loss of freezer food, damage to electronics and household appliances, and the cost of alternative accommodation in the event a power cut renders a home uninhabitable.
This advice comes following the extensive power outages which arose during the recent Storms Bram and Amy, and the widespread damage caused by last winter’s storms.
Geraldine Kelly, Head of Personal Lines at Gallagher said: “The ferocity of recent storms means that power cuts have become all too common an occurrence in Ireland when bad weather hits, with many homeowners enduring considerable hardship as a result. For example, hundreds of thousands of customers lost power when Storm Éowyn hit in January 2025. And in the recent Storm Bram, 54,000 customers lost power at the peak of the outages. Many of the homeowners who lost power in recent storms had no water, lighting, heating, mobile phone signals and broadband connections as a result – and some were without power for weeks.”
“When bad weather is forecast, it is always prudent to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Take all the steps available to you to protect and your home.”
Our experts also suggested that even when a weather warning is not imminent, homeowners should be aware of what their home insurance covers and how they can make a claim in the event their home is damaged.
Ms Kelly advised, “Being confident in what your insurance policy covers could considerably ease the stress which people face when hit by storm. Most home insurance policies for example cover a certain amount of losses from a power cut if the outage is due to unforeseen circumstances such as a storm, flood, or fire. This could include the cost of alternative accommodation in the event there is a prolonged outage and you have been left with no heating during cold weather. Homeowners who end up throwing out a freezer full of food after a prolonged power cut may also have some cover for the contents of their freezer. In addition, if a power surge occurs during a storm and damages your electronics or household appliances, you may be covered for the repair or replacement of these items under your home insurance policy.”
We are also advising homeowners to check if they can rely on their home insurance to cover damage to outdoor furniture – as not all insurers cover storm damage to outdoor furniture.
Ms Kelly explained: “While most home insurers cover damage caused by a storm or fallen trees, that cover may be restricted to sheds and outbuildings and it may not extend to furniture and some insurers only cover damage to garden furniture if it is caused by attempted stealing.”
We have the following advice for homeowners ahead of Storm Chandra/the current weather warning:
Tips to prevent wind damage
- Cut down or trim back large trees which are very close to your home. A fallen tree can cause huge damage to property.
- Check your windows and electricity cables to make sure that no loose branches are hanging nearby as these can cause a lot of damage during a storm.
- Alert ESB Networks to any trees in your area that are leaning on overhead electricity lines – or any broken or damaged branches hanging over or on electricity lines. Under no circumstances should you attempt to cut the trees or branches yourself. ESB Networks has tree cutting crews who will assess if the trees need to be cut down. Getting these problems addressed before a storm or bad weather hits could prevent the loss of power to your home.
- Make sure windows are firmly secured to reduce the likelihood of breaking glass.
- Anchor your trampoline so it doesn’t blow away in a storm – or even better, dismantle it until the good weather returns. A rogue trampoline could damage your property – or other properties in the area.
- Tie down, or store away, garden furniture as they can cause damage if they are caught in a storm of heavy wind. If you don’t have an indoor area to store garden furniture in, tying your outdoor furniture with sandbags is a good way to secure it during storms.
- Ensure that cars, motorbikes and garden furniture are left in a safe place. Vehicles can be damaged by falling trees, heavy branches or loose roof tiles. If you don’t have a garage to store them, leave them in a place where they are less likely to be damaged.
- Have an emergency kit in your home and a fully charged mobile phone. It’s advisable that your emergency kit includes emergency contacts (including the contact number of your home insurer or insurance broker), batteries, a torch, waterproof clothes, bottled water and food.
- Inspect your roof for loose tiles or damaged chimney pots, and get any problems repaired. Make sure your aerial and chimney is secure.
- Make sure that fences are securely in place so that they are not blown away during a storm – fences can cause significant damage if they fly into homes or sheds.
Tips to prevent flood damage
- Check all your gutters and drains are clean and clear of any leaves or other debris – as this could cause blockages and lead to flooding.
- If you live in a flood-prone area, invest in flood barriers and have sandbags to hand.
- Move valuables and other personal items to a safe area in your home (such as upstairs or high above ground level) if you’re expecting floods in your area.
- Don’t park your car in an area where it could be susceptible to flood damage.
- Ensure you know where water, gas and electricity mains are, should you need to turn them off or on.
- Check your external walls and windows to ensure they are adequately water resistant. There are various different products, sealants and varnishes available to waterproof any areas of concern.
- If you are carrying out any extension or building work on your house, ensure electrical sockets are placed above the height which could be reached by floodwater. In addition, it would be prudent to place air conditioning, heating or gas units on the first floor of your home or in the attic.
- If you live in a flood-prone area, always ensure that you have a stock of materials which are useful during a flood, such as plywood, plastic sheeting, sand, nails, a hammer, shovel, bricks, blocks of wood and a saw.
- Ensure that any streams, rivers or lakes on your property are able to flow freely. Check for blockages in any stream and ensure that the banks have not eroded.
- Check government websites, such as flooding.ie and floodinfo.ie, for advice.
Tips on how to make a household insurance claim
- Call your insurer or broker as soon as you discover a problem or damage. Ideally, check your insurance policy beforehand so you know if you’re covered for the damage, although your insurer or broker will be able to advise regardless.
- Give details of the claim to your insurer or broker and request a claim form. You may not need to fill out a claim form – your insurer may instead take all the relevant details over the phone and appoint a loss adjuster to gather further information. (A loss adjuster is a professional appointed and paid for by your insurer to inspect the damage and discuss and agree a settlement with you.) Your insurer will advise if you need to complete a claim form.
- Take photographs of any damaged goods and keep a list of these items as this will be helpful if you need to make a claim on your home insurance. Also keep any relevant receipts, brochures and manuals where possible.
- Your insurer or broker will advise you on what to do next. It may recommend that some emergency repairs be done. Always check that your insurer will cover the cost of any repairs and be sure to follow your insurer’s procedure around repairs. Your insurer may have an approved network of builders to help with emergency repairs. Many home insurance policies come with home emergency assistance as standard.
- Do not dispose of damaged contents, unless your insurer says it is okay to do so. Place destroyed items outside of the house. It is generally okay to dispose of fridge and freezer contents, but not before checking with your insurer and photographing and listing them.
- If you are unhappy with the way a loss adjuster is handling your claim, you can either raise the matter with the loss adjusting firm or contact your insurer or broker.
- For large or complex claims, such as a claim for substantial damage caused by burst pipes, floods, storm or fire, you may want to hire your own loss assessor. An assessor works on your behalf and will negotiate with your insurance company to settle your claim. Assessor’s fees are not covered by your policy, so you will have to pay for this service yourself. An assessor is not the same as a loss adjuster, who is employed by the insurance company and works on their behalf.
- There are likely to be a number of documents which you will need to send to your insurer or loss adjuster to support your claim. If you need to post these documents, consider sending them via registered mail and take copies of the documents before posting.
- Be sure to ask your insurer for any interim payment which may be available from it to cover immediate outlays such as alternative accommodation and the purchase of essential items that have been damaged such as medicines, clothing and food stuffs.
- If you’re unhappy with a decision made by your insurer in relation to your claim, you should first make a formal complaint with the insurer itself. If you are still not satisfied with the response after raising an internal complaint with the insurer, you can refer a complaint to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman.