Cork County Council Storm Éowyn Status Red Warning Update – Friday 6.45am

Cork County Council’s Crisis Management Team convened throughout the night to monitor and assess the damage caused by Storm Éowyn. 

A Status Red Wind warning remains in place until 10.00am this morning and people are asked to continue to shelter in place.

Maximum gusts of 130km/h were recorded across the county with up to 40mm of rainfall recorded which created multiple hazards. There are trees down right across the county and power outages for more than 20,000 homes and businesses in Cork alone. 

A Status Orange Wind warning will be in place until 4.00pm this afternoon with severe, damaging and destructive gusts forecast. 

The public is asked not to travel today unless absolutely necessary even after the red warning expires. Aside from the dangers of fallen trees, power cables and telecoms infrastructure, there will be a lot of debris on roads and footpaths.

Cork County Council received a low volume of calls overnight as the public heeded the warnings to stay indoors during this dangerous weather event. Assistance was provided to those calls where it was safe to so do. 

These calls, and calls for assistance from the HSE, Gardai, and essential utilities will be prioritised this morning. Crews will be deployed when it is safe to do so. 

There will be multiple hazards on streets, roads and footpaths and the public is asked to report any incidents to the Council’s Emergency Line on 021 4800048. The number will be available today and throughout the weekend. 

Cork County Council thanks the public for their understanding and patience as we respond to this severe weather event and the aftermath. 

The public is advised to stay away from coastal areas during this period. The Irish Coast Guard is appealing to people to “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”. 

ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and is advising the public and the emergency services to stay away from these fallen cables and to report such cases to it immediately. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor www.PowerCheck.ie regarding power restoration times.

Uisce Éireann customers can check the website and social media channels for updates and to get in touch with any issues or concerns via their 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278.

All Cork County Council facilities will remain closed today This includes council offices, libraries, swimming pools, civic amenity sites and tourist facilities. Telephone lines and emails will be operational wherever possible. Mallow Castle Grounds and Fermoy Town Park will be closed to the public due to the risk of fallen trees. These facilities will be inspected for damage before being re-opened to the public. 

Dursey Cable Car has been taken out of service due to the destructive winds. A post storm technical inspection will need to be undertaken before it can return to service. 

Weather updates are available at www.met.ie.  Cork County Council will continue to provide updates on www.corkcoco.ie and across the Council’s social media channels @Corkcoco.