Thousands of people remain without power and water this morning in the wake of storm Ophelia.

Three people lost their lives in winds which hit 190 kmph on Monday.

Right now there are 48-thousand homes without water, while one hundred thousand households have no electricity.

The ESB says most should be back on the grid within 3- 4 days, but some could take up to 10 days.

But the repairs are under pressure with the arrival of another storm this weekend - Brian is predicted to bring gale force winds.

In the meantime, help is being drafted in from as far afield as France and workers have been commended by the Taoiseach for their Herculean efforts to get the country back on its feet.

The clean up bill is expected to top 1 billion euro.

All schools should reopen today after a two-day shut down during the storm.

And the Luas which was the last transport network to get back to normal began services again last night.