As Met Éireann Issues Fresh Red Weather Warning, Here’s What We Know So Far

Megan Cassidy

It’s the worst storm to hit Ireland in half a century. As Hurricane Ophelia continues to track north-eastwards, Met Éireann have issued a fresh red weather warning across the country, set to stay in place until 1am, Tuesday 17th October. Here’s what we know at this point.

Fatalities

The ex-hurricane has claimed three lives thus far.

A woman in her 50s passed away in Waterford after a tree fell on the car she was driving, piercing the vehicle, while a man in his 30s died in Tipperary in an incident with a chainsaw as he attempted to clear a fallen tree.

A man in Louth later passed away when the car in which he was travelling was struck by a tree. His age has yet to be confirmed.

Transport

All Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, Bus Eireann, Luas services have been suspended for the rest of the day until Tuesday morning, while more than 140 flights have been cancelled at the country’s airports.

Bumpy landings at Dublin Airport. #Ophelia pic.twitter.com/Prs8rP7H08

— Alan Farrell TD (@AlanFarrell) October 16, 2017

Electricity

Sources told The Independent that up to 500,000 homes could be left without power this evening, with outages so far concentrated in Cork, Kerry and the southwest, with disruptions also reported throughout the midwest and southeast as the ex-hurricane makes its way across the country.

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.”

ESB has warned that it could take several days to restore power around the country.

Schools

The Department of Education has confirmed that all schools will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday 17th October, in the “interests of child safety”.

In a statement, RIchard Bruton said: “It is recognised that the decision to close schools will have a major impact on families and on the workforce. However, this decision has been taken in the interests of safety for children and to provide clarity for everyone concerned.”

#HurricaneOphelia getting the better of #Douglas Community School… #staysafeIreland vs #Ophelia … ????pic.twitter.com/qGAgfoIwqU

— Pierce Kennedy ???????? (@PierceKennedy) October 16, 2017

Colleges

The final decision on closures at creches and third-level institutions will be left to the individual facilities, so make sure to keep an eye on relevant websites.

While all third-level institutions were instructed to close by the Department of Education on Monday, sources have indicated that many are expected to open on Tuesday.

UCC can confirm that all campuses will be open as normal tomorrow (Tuesday, October 17) and lectures will recommence at 12noon. pic.twitter.com/hFBwEWulwD

— UCC Ireland (@UCC) October 16, 2017

Winds

The centre of the storm is currently just off the coast of Mayo. The storm is expected to have completely passed over the country by midnight tonight, however Taoiseach Leo Varadkar warned that the aftermath of the storm will be dangerous.

He said at a press conference:

“There is a possibility that we are going to be here tomorrow relieved that the damage was less than we thought, but we can’t operate on that basis.”

“So I don’t want anyone to think that this is anything other than a national emergency and a red alert in all counties, all cities, all areas.”

<br />