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Updated at 9am
A tree down on the Block Road, Portlaoise last evening [Image: Trevor Byrne]
LOCAL AUTHORITY CREWS are out this morning clearing trees and other fallen debris from the roads in the wake of yesterday’s massive storm, which caused structural damage and massive travel problems across the country.
The southern half of the country was worst affected, with hundreds of trees down on routes all over Cork and Kerry.
There’s some disruption to rail and bus systems this morning, but most services are getting back to normal.
Gardaí issued this update on the road transport situation at daybreak:
They’re also advising motorists to proceed with caution in all areas:
Gardaí wish to advise the public to be aware of the prevailing weather conditions following the recent severe weather. Road conditions are hazardous due to black ice and recent snow showers throughout the country. Fallen trees and debris may be encountered on many roads.
In short… Where-ever you’re driving this morning expect to encounter a fallen tree (or seven).
Some rail services aren’t running and others are delayed as a result of the storms.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Irish Rail’s Jane Cregan said there were trains running on all routes “with the exception of Tralee to Mallow and Limerick to Athenry”. Bus transfers are running on those routes.
She said there were some delays on Waterford and Cork services as a result of power outages on level crossings.
Over 100 workers have been out removing trees from the rail network overnight. Cregan said there had been 21 trees down between Limerick Junction and Mallow yesterday.
At the height of the storm, the company sent staff equipped with chainsaws on trains heading to areas likely to be affected by fallen trees.
Irish Rail are, as always, all over Twitter this morning providing updates @IrishRail.
Bus Eireann issued its last travel update at 10.20pm last night with the company reporting diversions on many routes.
However services for Limerick city were resuming after being suspended for a time earlier yesterday. Galway services are also back on.
Many other routes in the south and west of the country were operating on alternate routes, although some were resuming.
In Dublin, things are more or less back on schedule:
Irish Ferries has cancelled sailings of its smaller craft on the Dublin-Holyhead route, the ‘Swift’. The larger ‘Ulysses’ will depart at 10am instead of 08.05am.
There was also disruption on Stena Line routes yesterday. Check for updates here.
Flights in Dublin this morning were operating pretty much as normal, but the DAA is advising anyone with a flight today to check with their airline.
This was the message from Cork Airport:
All early morning departures will operate but all with delays due to aircraft needing to be de-iced arising from overnight snowfall and low temperaturesPassengers are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline.
And in Shannon, early morning flights departed as normal, but “contact airline” notices were in place for some UK-bound services this afternoon.
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Always questions questions questions, but never any answers!
@Colette Kearns: It’s a hospital, the chances of a virus being there is quite high. I think that answers the question
They’re bacteria?
@Timmy:
Eh, no, hospitals being places where bacteria are likely to be found does not answer why they cut the cleaning budget.
@Timmy: TIMMY!
@Timmy: I also think it answers the question, albeit in a superficial and practically inept fashion. The idea in the hospital is to not endanger the patients (or staff) any further. That specifically includes maintaining the highest of hygiene standards, the hospital failed to do that and cutting the cleaning regime was obviously a factor in that.
@Jon Snow: Livin’ a lie, TIMMY!
Of all the things to be cut in a hospital, hygiene!!! I’m not a doctor, but is cleanliness not vitally important in a hospital of all places??
Never happened when the nuns were in charge, the hospitals were always spick and span.
Cutting costs on cleaning and putting people’s lives in danger. Like why not just reduce the boards massive wage bill instead.
@Darren Cooney: you will probably find the Board are all unpaid volunteers.
Lowest bid cleaning contractors???? Hospitals need qualified in-house cleaning staff 24.7
The answer lies in the fact that there’s an antibiotic culture in this country.
@Darren Bates: No… it doesn’t. In the case of these superbugs it’s more to do with an antibiotic problem… in India.
“Questions need to be asked”
The favourite go to line of many a politician, knowing only too well it’ll all be forgotten and buried in a few days/weeks.
Ridiculous to cut the budget. But very misleading article- cleaning or lack there of does not contribute to carbarpenem resistance, the use of that antibiotic does.
The day of drug resistant staph and enterococcus is fast approaching.
@George Beckett: to be infected by the bacterium requires the bacterium to be presence.
The probability of the presence of the bacterium is increased by reduction in cleaning.
Prevention of infection is better than cure, especially in the case of antibiotuc resistance fir the bacterium.
@George Beckett: Eh… the day is here? It’s called MRSA and CRE or VRE. Nobody is disputing how resistance evoloution happens they’re disputing that proper measures aren’t taken to try and prevent the acquisition of these bugs.
@George Beckett:
Yes but it can be controlled by correct aseptic methodology which include cleaning regimes which is lacking in this case
No accountability,no consequences.
“Penny wise, Pound foolish” the mantra of government.
“Penny wise, Pound foolish” the mantra of government.
It’s been widely reported in the past that this hospital has had issues with bullying and it’s ‘management style’, particularly in it’s Emergency Department, resulting in consultants there becoming whistleblowers. I’ve heard whispers that little has changed, the hospital management hire highly qualified staff to help enact changes. But these are consequently bullied and unable to do their job – a job which had been earmarked for another member of staff belonging to a clique within the hospital. Unwilling to admit they have a problem with bullying, the management then become a reluctant party to it.
The lunatics are running this particular asylum, and have been for quite some time, so it should be no surprise when some questionable decisions are made, but just how much latitude are they going to be given before an adult steps in and takes control is the real question. This isn’t the first time patients lives have been put in danger, or even lost in Tallaght Hospital, particularly in it’s Emergency Department, the issues aren’t being resolved and appear to be getting worse.
It would help tallaght hospital if they got half decent cleaners to clean wards/toilets/main hospital areas. Place is filthy
Why not get prisoners to clean then hospitals at 4am. Problem solved.
Get the nuns in with the Dosco brushes n Dettol
Who I mean who, decided a hospital (any hospital) only needed to be cleaned 6 out of 7 days?
Find the person and let him go….
have your say