Storm Éowyn has been unleashing chaos throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland and this morning (January 24) – as one woman found at her expense.
Cheryl Smith was woken at 6am in her home in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland and soon took to TikTok to voice her alarm, describing the local atmosphere as “absolutely terrifying” amid “unreal noise and chaos”.
More than 93,000 residences and businesses are currently cut off from power amidst an ongoing red weather warning in the country. The PSNI has declared the situation a major incident, and expect Eowyn’s winds to be the fiercest in the country since Boxing Day, 1998.
Echoing the severity, the Met Office issued a statement: “Very strong winds associated with Storm Éowyn causing very dangerous conditions with widespread disruption and significant impacts expected.”
Cheryl began her video inside her home, fearfully admitting: “I am absolutely bricking it. Can you hear the rattling in my house, never mind outside?” Facing the tempest, she ventured into her back garden and informed her followers that the peak of the storm was yet an hour off.
With the wind’s roar evident in her clip, Cheryl recorded her plants being battered before plunging into the dark. She exclaimed: “Holy c**p, I can’t even walk forward, I can’t even walk.”
Looking towards her property, she confessed: “I’m terrified for our glass windows.” An hour later, meanwhile, Cheryl returned to her platform to post an update in which she revealed she had lost electricity in her home.
“The wind is howling and has definitely picked up – this is the worst I’ve seen it since we lived here,” she stated. “The waves are getting bigger, it’s really, really scary – I have never experienced wind or rain like this.”
Braving the outdoors, she continued: “Stuff is flying everywhere and it’s not letting up! Stay safe out there!” Despite appreciating her follow-up footgae, her followers expressed concern for her well-being, pressing her to remain inside.
One TikTok user responded: “Thanks for posting updates. A bit worried about you going outside. Maybe send updates from inside… just thinking of your safety.” Another reinforced the sentiment, urging: “Cheryl go back in, it’s too dangerous.”
A third individual added their voice: “Get inside! Why would you do that? You’re endangering yourself from any flying debris, or being swept off your feet and injuring yourself.”
Meanwhile, a fellow Northern Irish resident penned: “My locked windows have ripped open, I’ve them tied with shoe laces. My patio doors sound next too.”