The National Coordination Group this morning (15 February, 2014) reviewed the weather forecast and the ongoing impact of the storms which hit the country. Met Eireann are advising of normal winter weather for the days ahead, which include icy conditions on Saturday night and rain on Sunday night.
The resources deployed by the ESB, which includes the Networks crews, supported by NIE and 3,000 staff on the ground worked late into the night yesterday to restore supply to over 25,000 customers and have restored power to over 210,000 customers since Wednesday. However 60,000 customers remain without electricity this morning. Crews will work through the day and tonight. But the ESB has advised that some people may be without power over the weekend and into early next week. The website www.esbie/esbnetworks.ie gives details of the expected restoration times and people are advised to check it out.
People are being asked to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours in areas which are without power. The Garda Siochanna are maintaining contacts with people in isolated areas. People are advised to:
keep warm and take care with alternative forms of energy.
check on vulnerable neighbours in their community in areas without power.
where they have specific medical concerns to contact their medical practitioners for advice.
On the water issue, power has been restored either through the work of the ESB networks or onsite generators. Boil water notices are in place as a precautionary measure in conjunction with HSE. But these are being removed as power is restored and supply issues resolved. Drinking Water Incident response Plans have been activated in areas still without water.
Met Éireann has advised that the there are no warnings in place and the weather over the weekend will be will wintry and normal for the time of year.
Additional rainfall will top up the already near capacity of our rivers and still poses a risk. The local authorities will continue to monitor the position in relation to river levels generally and number of flood alerts are in place in specific areas. The ESB are monitoring the levels on the rivers Liffey, Lee and Shannon and discharges are being managed in conjunction with local authorities. Information on the river levels are available on www.riverlevel.ie
The public have been reminded to continue to follow the weather warnings and to heed the safety messages of the authorities. People should also be mindful when using candles and open heating sources in the home.
All road users are advised to exercise extreme caution as there is still the danger from debris fallen trees. High winds may also unsettle weakened trees.
The group noted the on-going community resilience and commended members of the public for heeding safety advises.
The National Co-ordination Group will continue to monitor the situation
National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management
Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Custom House
Dublin 1
ENDS
Weather Warnings are presented in three categories:
A. STATUS YELLOW - Weather Alert - Be Aware
The concept behind YELLOW level weather alerts is to notify those who are at risk because of their location and/or activity, and to allow them to take preventative action. It is implicit that YELLOW level weather alerts are for weather conditions that do not pose an immediate threat to the general population, but only to those exposed to risk by nature of their location and/or activity.
B. STATUS ORANGE - Weather Warning - Be Prepared
This category of ORANGE level weather warnings is for weather conditions which have the capacity to impact significantly on people in the affected areas. The issue of an Orange level weather warning implies that all recipients in the affected areas should prepare themselves in an appropriate way for the anticipated conditions.
C. STATUS RED - Severe Weather Warning - Take Action
The issue of RED level severe weather warnings should be a comparatively rare event and implies that recipients take action to protect themselves and/or their properties; this could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily; by staying indoors; or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the effects of the weather conditions.