Dublin, Feb 18, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – Tens of thousands of homes in the south of the island of Ireland are without power, as Storm Eunice continues to rage.
More than 55,000 homes, farms and businesses were without power on the island on Friday morning, as the storm tracked eastwards across the Republic.
Counties Cork, Kerry and the south of the country have borne the brunt of the major storm so far, which brought high winds and snow to parts of the island.
Met Eireann has said that gusts of over 130 kilometres per hour (km/h) had been recorded in Cork.
On Friday morning, fallen trees and blocked roads were causing considerable disruption in Cork, Kerry and several other counties.
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB) estimates that further disruption to power supplies can be expected in the hours to come.
Schools and colleges across the Republic of Ireland will also remain closed on Friday, following advice from the Department of Education.
Met Eireann issued a red wind warning for Cork, Kerry, Clare and Waterford.
An orange snow warning has also been issued for several counties in the north and west, including Donegal, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon.
While the storm is expected to be powerful but relatively short, officials have warned that it is likely to leave a trail of damage and disruption, including fallen trees, power outages and coastal flooding.
More than 6,000 people were without power due to the storm on Friday morning, the ESB said, predominantly in Cork and Kerry.
Brian Tapley, from ESB, said on Friday: “We will know the extent of the damage to our network probably by midday because the storm is passing so quickly.”
He told RTE radio that ESB workers would aim to “restore everyone as quickly as possible and safely as possible.”
Some snow has already been reported in parts of the northwest, with more sleet and snow possible later on Friday.
Liz Coleman, from Met Eireann, said that the storm would track eastwards across Ireland over the course of the morning.
“The very strong winds will be over by midday today,” she told RTE radio.
“We will then be in a strong westerly airflow with some blustery, scattered showers.”
The Irish police force, and the Gardai, have urged the public to heed warnings for their local areas.
Those living in the worst-affected areas have been advised to stay indoors for the duration of the storm and to remain cautious even when the worst conditions have abated.
Bus Eireann will not operate during the red warning, while Irish Rail will operate provided there is no damage to tracks.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said that it hopes to experience little or no disruption to services on Friday.
Anne O’Connor, Chief Operations Officer for the HSE, said on Friday that patients should hopefully only experience a “brief disruption” to planned appointments and services.
Ireland’s National Emergency Co-ordination Group met on Thursday to finalise planning, with chairman Keith Leonard predicting a “high-impact, multi-hazard weather event.”
Tommy Ryan, from the County and City Management Association, said on Thursday night that crews are on stand-by, as well as Civil Defence if necessary.
“Each local authority is scaling the response at an appropriate level depending on the level of warning, whether it is red, orange or yellow,” he said.
“The local government sector is prepared and ready to respond.”
The Met Eireann storm warning for Kerry, Cork and Clare came into effect at 3 am (0300 GMT) on Friday and will remain in place until 8 am.
The alert for Waterford began at 7 am on Friday and will stay in place until 11 am.
An orange wind warning for the Munster region and Counties Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow and Galway, will last until 11 am.
An orange snow warning for Donegal, Leitrim, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon, remains in place until 3 pm.
A yellow wind and rain warning covers the rest of the country until 6 pm, with a snow and ice warning in place until 10 am on Saturday.
In Northern Ireland, a yellow wind and snow warning has been issued by the Met Office for 3 am to 6 pm on Friday.
“Storm Eunice may cause disruption due to heavy snow and some strong winds on Friday,” said the UK forecaster.
GNA