Hey @voyantone,
If the footer is missing altogether, that likely indicates there is a fatal error. It possible that some of the code that’s used in the footer or is called in the footer is having an error now in version 2.5.4.
To narrow down where it is coming from, here’s what you can do. Temporarily switch to the parent Storefront theme and use version 2.5.4. Check the footer. If it displays properly, then the issue is in the child theme.
Next rename the footer.php file in the child theme, footer-original.php and see if it displays. If it does, that indicates there is an issue in the child theme’s footer. You’ll want to compare it against the code in the parent theme’s footer.php file to find the error and fix it.
If the footer still doesn’t load, then that could indicate that a function which outputs into the footer is having trouble.
Let me know what you find out.
Cheers