Statement from Cork County Council in advance of Storm Ciarán
Storm Ciarán is due to pass close to the south coast of Ireland on Wednesday night, 1st November into Thursday, 2nd November, bringing falls of heavy rain and strong winds with poor visibility leading to difficult and dangerous driving conditions. Met Eireann have issued a weather advisory for the coming days as the unsettled weather continues to have an impact on waterlogged soil and river levels across the county.
Cork County Council crews are on standby in several known risk locations across the county. Crews are currently clearing inlets and gullies. Sandbags and pumping arrangements will be in place in known problem locations.
Members of the public are advised to stay high, stay dry and stay back from the coast, rivers and lakes. With strong gusts and high waves predicted, people are urged to refrain from visiting coastal areas.
The Council is asking members of the public to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface and flash flooding possible. Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain. Strong winds can make driving conditions hazardous, especially for the more vulnerable road users, e.g., cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high sided vehicles. Road users should pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris as trees are in full leaf and never drive through flooded roads as the depth of the water can be deceiving.
Members of the public are advised to prepare for the arrival of the storm including ensuring their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication.
Forecasted conditions may give rise to localised power outages. In the event of disruption to power supply, please contact ESB Networks at 1800 372 999 or visit ESB Power Check in regards to power restoration time.
In the event of disruption to water supply, please contact Uisce Éireann at 1800 278 278.
Issues such as flooding and road damage should be reported to your local Council Office during working hours (9am to 5pm), details of which can be found by visiting the below link. Outside working hours, the Council can be contacted via its 'Emergency Out of Hours' number (021) 4800048.
Call 999 or 112 and request the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, Gardaí or Irish Coastguard as appropriate. Weather updates are available by visiting Met Eireann.
Cork County Council will continue to provide updates on www.corkcoco.ie and across the Council’s social media channels (@Corkcoco).