Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) was still trying to restore power to 10,000 homes following the gales of up to 100 m.p.h. which lashed the North on St Stephen's Day.
Amid criticism that it had failed to take proper anticipatory measures to cope with the severity of the storm, NIE flew in teams of additional engineers from Britain yesterday to help restore electricity supplies.
Police also named the 24-yearold man who died when his car hit a fallen tree in Comber, Co Down, on Sunday morning. He was Mr Geoff McMullan from Hillhead Road, Dundonald, on the outskirts of east Belfast.
Ms Iris Robinson, a DUP Assembly member for Strangford, complained that no warning signs were erected where the tree was blocking the road at Comber; more than seven hours elapsed before appropriate measures were taken to deal with the obstacle.
By then at least two accidents, including that which claimed the life of Mr McMullan, had occurred, she said.
Ms Robinson called on the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, to launch an investigation into the way departmental emergency services responded during the severe weather conditions.
At the height of the storm 50,000 homes were left without power. Many homes were also without water supply as a result of storm damage and resultant power interruptions to pumping stations.
Areas without electricity include parts of counties Armagh, Tyrone, Fermanagh and Antrim. The Met Office was yesterday warning of fog, frost and snow in the north and west and more strong winds. A number of roads remained blocked by trees, police said.
By last night almost 40,000 customers had power restored, but it could be this evening before services were fully back to normal, said NIE. The company said engineers worked "flat out through the night in snow, sleet and freezing fog in a bid to restore electricity supply as quickly as possible".
More than 500 electricity poles were broken in the storms. Additional engineers arrived from Britain to help with the repair operation. However, severe weather conditions were hampering work, said NIE.
The company is to give £50 to every customer who lost power. Each customer's bill will be credited with a £50 good will payment.
Mr Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Fein MP for Mid-Ulster, accused NIE of a "total disregard of its obligations to consumers by not taking proper measures to ensure adequate emergency staff were available to handle the expected supply disruption".
Mr McGuinness added: "This is the second year in a row that large sections of the community have been left without power supply for extended periods over the Christmas and New Year period.
"NIE since privatisation has worked only to ensure that its profits are maximised for the benefit of its shareholders with little thought for the consumer, who is paying higher than reasonable energy costs," he said.
