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Updated 14.20
WEATHER ALERTS ARE in place across the country as Ireland enters another weekend of turbulent weather.
With many places still reeling from the impact of Storm Desmond, further flooding and damage is expected.
Met Éireann has issued a status orange alert is in place for Clare, Cork and Kerry, where between 30 to 50 mm of rainfall is expected.
A status yellow warning is in place for Munster, much of Leinster and much of Connacht.
Temperatures this afternoon are expected to reach between 3 and 5 degrees.
There has also been a snow-ice warning for Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Mayo and Roscommon, with many areas waking up to snow this morning.
This was the scene in Monaghan earlier today:
Earlier this morning a meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Centre assessed the response to the weather that has been taking place to date.
The body is comprised of the Office of Public Works, the ESB, HSE, Civil Defence, Coast Guard, Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and Met Éireann.
It has reported that around the country local authorities have been making preparations for further flooding with the Defence Forces assisted where needed.
The group has also reminded the public not to walk along riverbanks at this time and that anyone visiting a coastal area should take care.
Yesterday the government announced the establishment of a €5 million fund to help small businesses who have suffered as a result of the weather. It is targeted at businesses in towns that have been recognised as at flood risk by the OPW and unable to access flood risk insurance.
Homeowners living close to the River Shannon are also set for more flooding with the ESB releasing a statement earlier this morning that water flow through the Parteen Weir hydro-dam will be increased to 405 cubic metres per second.
Levels of Lough Derg are being monitored and further flooding of roads, land and property is likely.
Areas that are expected to be impacted are:
Springfield, Montpellier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick.
In response to the further flooding, the Department of Social Protection has activated its Humanitarian Assistance Scheme which will be administered by the Community Welfare Service.
The purpose of this is to provide support to those impacted as quickly as possible, with it helping those affected with emergency income support, replacement of goods and household items and more long term financial aid for the repair of property.
The Irish Farmers Association has also announced that it is re-activating its volunteer teams of officers to assist those impacted by the flooding.
These officers will help individuals build flood defences with sandbags and operate water pumps.
Chairman of the IFA flood project team Tom Turley, said: “For anybody who is stranded, we have machinery to get them out of their home and bring them to safety. We can also clear debris from roads to allow cars to travel safely.”
- First published 12.00pm
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There’s an awful lot of people worried this morning. Best of luck guys.
Bit of a shtorm so
We’re getting quite a lot of weather lately.
The great Adams & Paul.
The great Oliver Hardy in the stagecoach scene in the Way Out West !
To be exact he said: “A lot of weather we’ve been having lately!”
whilst fiddling with his bow-tie !
Pizza for cat!
Thems be angels !
A fan of Banks, too.
Rain, sleet and snow here in Leitrim.I’m lucky living on top of a drumlin, its just knee deep mud everywhere but my heart goes out to those people whose homes and businesses are being destroyed by the weather. I don’t understand why the county councils, when they know the Shannon overflows on to the flood plain, and has been doing so for millenia, don’t have contingency plans for such events. Total lack of forward planning.
They should SUE Irish Water
yea sue irish water for snowfall :D
As in sue, sue, go away lol.
No more ridiculous than charging Irish People for water!
@ meet….don’t worry if the other motley crew are elected, they will abolish water charges and only charge for cleaning the output (sewage ) and call it a green water releasing charge.
A boy named sue.
T’would be a lovely little country if we could only roof it.
The snow must have caught Cavan County Council by surprise the roads where lethal this morning.
Joan Blackburn said on the forecast that it wouldn’t stick.Apparently,the ground is too warm .
Anyone would think they are too mean to use a bit of salt….
Now let’s hope our politicians have the brains and the balls to go after funds from the European relief fund so that we can help out our own!!
We need to get Bertie to build a bowl over the country.
what’s the panic about, we’ve survived far worse.. The mass hysteria is ridiculous! I did enjoy the video of the horses tho, fair play..
The panic is for the people whose homes are being destroyed by water coming into them.
It’s happened before, it’ll happen again and it wasn’t even that bad this time. Didn’t see any canoes meandering there way through the cities this time. Don’t get me wrong, obviously someone’s home being flooded isn’t nice thing to happen but the way the media and social-media are carrying on, you’d swear it’s only a new phenomenon. Naming the storms has increased the hysteria.
Emergency.
The winter has arrived as it has for thousands of years.
Journalists expect Central Heating from the weather.
Ireland has a “Sub-Arctic Climate”
Cold but not as cold as Iceland.
Message to Dublin journalists who live in centrally heated Dublin bedsits:
It’s always cold in Ireland in December.
Only country people live in bedsits in Dublin; rent and transport and the higher cost of living for food and socialising in the capital prevents them from being able to afford a bigger home. They’d be better off staying with ‘da mamey’ at home.
This country is a shambles when it comes to any sort of bad weather…if a tree comes down in Kildare after 5 pm you have to wait till the next morning to get it removed…can you image if you need an ambulance or fire service and road blocked…it’s all about the money with our government..feck the people !!
Water levels have risen by 70mm on the River Shannon in the last 24 hours and will continue to rise until Wednesday.
And they still don’t want to give any water to the dubs… Less than one second per day of current flow rated…
yea if they a big pipe line to Dublin they could pump off all that water and fill the Reservoir’s around the city and if there was still too much in the Shannon they could pump it into the Irish Sea
A very simplistic way of thinking eircodes
A sad state of affairs, the country would rather experience flooding than share their water with the Capital. Dubliners should remember this when their Property Tax contributions are being transferred to provincial county councils! Ensure your vote, in the next GE, goes to a Dublin candidate in Dublin. Fair’s fair!
If Dublin got all the leaks fixed it would have no need to be provided water. Sending water up from the Shannon makes no sense as most of it will be lost due to said leaks. Why waste resources?
Good point Nikki. Plus I believe there is a lot of discharge from animal waste into the Shannon, so probably not the safest source of water for human consumption…there’s only do much filtering can do!
Believe me George Dublin don’t want the water from the Shannon it’s disgusting. Even after it has been “filtered’. It’s only useful for flushing the toilets. We couldn’t drink the water that comes out of our taps it would poison you! And every now and again when you turn on the tap you get a stench of bleach so god knows what they are putting in it. Animal waste would be the least of my worries to be honest.
George i have photos of sewage being discharged into Liffey 2km upstream from water extraction point in Leixlp. Used condom & female hygiene products included … think I’d prefer the cowshite.
Apparently, Dublin’s water comes from Wicklow…thank you, Wicklow!
:::
The main source of water supply for the Dublin Region is Poulaphuca Lake on the Upper Liffey. Water is abstracted from Poulaphuca (Co Wicklow) and treated in Ballymore Eustace Water Treatment Plant (Co Kildare). Treated water is then transmitted from Ballymore Eustace to Dublin (approximately 40km).
It was absolutely fabulous driving down outside Armagh this morning,left Dundalk it was lashing rain 5 degrees going down the A28 temps dropped to zero….traffic slowed right down as heavy snow came down….lovely to see but crap driving in it.
Where is the story about Paul Murphy and the FOI request from Irish water gone? Why have ye removed it?
It’s still there!!
Irish Water are deliberately confusing their payment figures, says Paul Murphy
http://jrnl.ie/2498486
Why is Gerry Adams working for benelyn?
Wtf???????
Whoopeee…
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