Some 120,000 homes are without power on Monday as Hurricane Ophelia sweeps in over
Ireland with damaging gusts and heavy rainfall.
Members of the public have been advised to stay inside and not to make unnecessary journeys as the worst storm the country has seen in more than 50 years passes over. Public transport services have been cancelled countrywide and there have been a series of road closures, including the M8 motorway.
As of 12 noon, approximately 120,000 electricity customers were without power, with the main areas impacted in the southern half of the country including Counties Kerry, Cork, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Limerick. There are widerspread reports from the counties of fallen trees and blocked road with the extreme weather moves through the southwest and southeast.
The storm winds have hit the south-west and south Leinster and are moving quickly up across the country.
Met Éireann is warning that violent and destructive gusts of 120km/h are expected countrywide and that winds could exceed these value in some exposed and coastal areas. It has reported gusts as high as 156 km/h at Roches Point in Cork .
“ The most severe winds over Munster and south Leinster at present will extend quickly to the rest of the country this afternoon,” according to Met Éireann.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has asked people to stay where they are - either at home or in work - as the country deals with the storm. Mr Varadkar was speaking at a press conference ahead of a meeting of the
National Emergency Coordination Committee in Dublin.
The public have been advised to stay indoors and the Government’s crisis management committee, the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, met this morning and warned against all unnecessary travel.
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Ophelia liveblog is here.
Met Éireann extended a red level wind warning to the whole country warning Ophelia would pass directly over Ireland during daytime delivering “violent and destructive gusts” in all areas.
The storm hit the south west this morning with fallen trees, closed roads and thousands left without power. All bus services have have stopped as well as inter-city rail and commuter services out of Connolly, including the DART, will stop at 2pm.
The severe weather warning runs until midnight on Monday.
The path of the former hurricane has shifted slightly to the west and the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami has said the worst hit areas will be Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal.
Head of Corporate Affairs for
ESB, Bernardine Maloney has urged members of the public not to ring the ESB unless it is an emergency. The ESB are urging members of the public to not ring in to report a power outage unless they are encountering an emergency.
“To report an emergency people can ring 1850-372-999. Do not approach any fallen lines, people sometimes think they should clear them off the road or to wrap them up or kick them to the side. They shouldn’t as they are live wires and dangerous.”
Most public transport services were cancelled as the storm took hold and many employers did not expect workers to show up today.
Schools closed
The Department of Education said all schools, colleges and other institutions would stay closed on Monday. All schools in the North have also been advised to close, according to the
Stormont press office while Ibec has urged all businesses to “minimise the movement of their employees” on Monday.
Red weather warnings refer to the most severe weather conditions, in which people are advised to “take action to protect themselves and/or their property”.
An
Garda Síochána has urged people not to make any non-essential journeys and to avoid cycling, while the Coast Guard has advised extreme caution on Monday and urged people to avoid any visits or walks to coastal or cliff areas.
The Government’s National Emergency Co-ordination Centre in Dublin opened at 6am. In a statement it said the full resources of the
Defence Forces were available and homeless service providers would keep their premises open throughout the day.
It released the following advice:
- All unnecessary travel should be avoided today, while the storm is passing.
- Don’t travel during the height of the storm unless absolutely necessary.
- Listen to local radio and national media broadcasts regarding the current weather situation.
- High seas predicted, the public are advised to stay away from coastal areas during this period.
“- Very strong winds are predicted making driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, e.g., cyclists, pedestrian’s, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris.
- Given anticipated weather conditions, today is a no bike day.
- Power outages are likely to occur in certain parts of the country, with contingency planning activated by the ESB. The ESB is advising the public to stay away from fallen cables that may have broken due to the high winds. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1850372999.
- Bus Éireann’s schools transport services will not be operating today. Because of the duty of care owed to children and to avoid the risk arising from travelling, the
Department of Education and Skills has instructed all schools to act on the Department’s advice and remain closed. Crèches and Montessori facilities should also remain closed today.
- People are asked to check in on isolated and vulnerable neighbours today in advance of the oncoming severe weather conditions and again after the worst of the event has passed.