Initial estimates put the cost of the clean-up operation after Storm Éowyn in Galway city at between €10 million and €15 million.
This afternoon's meeting of Galway City Council has been given an overview of the work carried out in recent weeks, after record winds caused significant damage to public infrastructure.
Director of Finance Helen Kilroy said "high level cost estimates" had been provided to the Department of Local Government, on foot of a request last week.
However, Ms Kilroy cautioned that it was still difficult to assess the ultimate cost of the repairs, as work was still ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the damage.
Councillors have been told it could take a number of months before all issues arising from the storm are addressed, with the volume of fallen trees in public woodland areas likely to pose significant challenges.
Ms Kilroy also warned councillors of the possibility that not all costs incurred would be covered by central Government and that, in that case, the financial burden would fall on the local authority.
She said this might necessitate a revision of the council’s annual budget.
Several councillors have drawn attention to the absence of public lighting on a number of routes around the city after lamps were damaged by the high winds.
Director of Services Patrick Greene said around 400 lights were out around the city at present.
He said the ESB had asked the council to wait until other network issues were addressed before it commenced repairs, as the lights were on live circuits.
Mr Greene said he hoped that task could begin later this week.
He also appealed to homeowners to exercise extreme caution around fallen trees, amid ongoing concerns about live wires being concealed among debris.
The meeting has heard widespread praise for the work carried out by council crews in the immediate aftermath of the storm and in the weeks since then.
Fine Gael Councillor Frank Fahy said he wanted members of the public to be aware that there were a "multitude of cowboys in operation", who were not properly qualified to carry out repair work, particularly in relation to fallen trees and related debris.
The Fine Gael councillor urged homeowners to be aware of this practice and ensure that any tasks were undertaken by qualified personnel.
Up to €200 million being paid out by insurers
A preliminary assessment of the claims stemming from Storm Éowyn could see insurers paying out "between €150 and €200 million", the CEO of Insurance Ireland has said.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Moyagh Murdock said costs associated with Storm Éowyn "really does outstrip any other wind event that we've had in many, many years".
"I think this has to have been the largest weather wind event that the country has ever seen in insurance terms," she added.
So far, she noted 14,000 claims have been received, adding "we expect that to rise to about 20,000 claims across the country".
Ms Murdock said Insurance Ireland does not believe "all claims have actually been notified to the insurers yet".
Insurance Ireland, she said, has "seen about 70% of the claims come in from home, about 25% from commercial property and a smaller amount from motor".
Ms Murdock said storm damage is "standard cover" in home and business policies.
"I know there was a lot of misinformation going around before the storm, but the insurers prepared, mobilised and are dealing with the calls as quickly as they can," the Insurance Ireland CEO added.
