STORM EOWYN: Schools and creches to close in Red Warning areas as people urged to shelter in place
STORM EOWYN: Schools and creches to close in Red Warning areas as people urged to shelter in place
People in areas covered by Met Eireann Red Weather Warning for Storm Eowyn are being urged to shelter in place for the duration of the warning as it poses a danger to life.
Following a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) today, it was confirmed that schools, early learning and childcares settings and further and higher education institutions in red level warning areas will close for the duration of the red warning.
The NECG said that employers in red warning areas should facilitate working from home for all employees who can do so. Only emergency service workers should be leaving home for work, where directed by their employer. Widespread disruption to public and other services is to be anticipated.
A Status Red Severe Weather Warning means ‘shelter in place’. People in the areas affected by red warnings should stay indoors, avoid unnecessary travel and take action to protect themselves and their properties.
Almost all of Ireland is now under a Status Red Wind Warning from Met Eireann for various times on Friday as the very powerful Storm Eowyn stalks the country.
Met Eireann has issued a series of top level Status Red Weather Warnings for Ireland that start coming into effect at 2am on Friday in the South West of the country and will be in place across the country until much later on Friday.
Red Weather Warnings are only issued for rare and very dangerous weather conditions from intense meteorological phenomena and Met Eireann says people should be prepared for 'exceptional measures'.
A Status Red Wind warning for Cork, Kerry and Limerick is currently in place from 2am to 10am on Friday.
A Status Red Wind warning for Clare and Galway is in place from 3am on Friday until noon on Friday.
A Status Red Wind warning for Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo is in place from 4am on Friday until noon on Friday.
A Status Red Wind warning for Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon and Tipperary is in place from 6am on Friday until noon on Friday.
A Status Red Wind warning for Donegal is in place from 6am on Friday until 3pm on Friday.
For each warning Met Eireann is warning that gale to storm force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and extremely destructive gusts in excess of 130km/h
Impacts from Storm Eowyn include
• Danger to life
• Extremely dangerous travelling conditions
• Unsafe working conditions
• Disruption and cancellations to transport
• Many fallen trees
• Significant and widespread power outages
• Impacts to communications networks
• Cancellation of event
• Structural damage
• Wave overtopping
• Coastal flooding in low-lying and exposed areas
There is also Status Orange Wind Warning for all of Ireland from 2am on Friday until 5pm on Friday.
Met Eireann is warning that Storm Éowyn will bring gale force southerly winds becoming westerly will bring severe, damaging and destructive gusts of up to 130km/h widely, with even higher gusts for a time.
Potential impacts are
Fallen trees
Damage to power lines and power outages
Structural damage
Very difficult travelling conditions
Disruption and cancellations to transport
Wave overtopping
Keep up to date with all the latest weather warnings from Met Eireann here