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STORM OPHELIA CUT a path through Ireland yesterday, causing widespread structural damage and cutting tens of thousands of people off from the electrical network.
Trees were felled, roofs were blown off houses and winds of up to 150km/h were felt across the country.
Tragically, three lives were also lost as the storm made its way through Ireland.
As the country wakes up to a big clean up operation, here are a series of pictures from the day
Waves and damage in Cork
Storm Ophelia made landing on the south coast and caused a lot of damage particularly in Cork.
In Kinsale, Eamonn Farrell of Rolling News shot some of the scenes of damage and the wild waves coming in off the ocean.
There was also vehicle and structural damage as a result of the storm.
Elsewhere in Cork, tress were spotted down near Fota Wildlife Park.
Patrick Dunphy / TwitterTrees down on fota road in #cork #Ophelia being cleared now though #HurricaneOphelia @OpinionLine96 pic.twitter.com/5fAio5euq0
— Patrick Dunphy (@PaddysUtd) October 16, 2017
Turner’s Cross Stadium was also badly damaged in the storm.
Stocking up
As the storm made it was through the country, people rushed to supermarkets to stock up on food and essential supplies. This was the situation in some supermarkets in Dublin.
People were also stocking up in Tesco in Ballybrack.
And here were people in Lidl on Thomas Street.
Helping the homeless
There were also a lot concerns about how homeless rough sleepers in cities like Dublin, Cork and Limerick would fare in the storm.
But volunteers and different charities and community groups came together to ensure everyone at least had a roof over their head.
Damage
There was also some significant structural damage and damage to trees in Dublin in the east of the country.
This was Northbrook Road, Ranelagh:
Fallen trees on Centre Park Road in Cork city:
Later in Dublin, as the storm passed – the rainbows came out.
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I think the decision to ask people to stay off the roads was a major contributor to the low death toll .
Well done to all the emergency services and to companies who instructed staff to stay home .
Condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones .
@Paddy Hayden: no doubt as also did closing schools/crèches etc. I was put at 8 yesterday morning and it was like Christmas Day. Popped to shop about 11 and it was like an off license on Christmas Eve. The winds were at their worst in the early hours of this morning in north fingal
I agree Paddy. Well done to all. Does anybody feel that those who defied the advice and went swimming or whatever, should be charged with sone type of public order offence ? Like it was crazy to do what some did – idiots !
@Chris Gavican: yes
@Chris Gavican: send them the bill for their rescue, and pursue them through the courts for payment. Might deter other Darwin Award nominees.
@Chris Gavican: They should be made to pay whatever it costs to bring out the emergency services. To unnecessarily put others’ lives at risk, whatever about the stupidity of risking their own lives is criminally reckless.
The pictures of shoppers in Tesco and Lidl are hugely informative. Who knew that is how people shopped in a storm?
@roderick:
Roofs blown off and structural damage in Cork, meanwhile shoppers in Dublin stocked up on their lattes….
@Avina Laaf: I mean it was just one day!
It was only one day of the storm but for people living in the country which is where most of the damage was done, it’s up to 10 days without power which also means no water and roads still blocked, so maybe for a change people on here should think of those outside of Dublin.
In fairness the queues are always like that in lidl in Thomas St
The biggest storm I remember was on the night of 31 January 1974. There were 3, 100-year old trees down across the Monkstown road (Co. Dublin). The road was closed for 3 days. On the Vico road above Whiterock beach most of the wires were down from the poles on the road. I lost count of the number of fallen trees I saw all around Co. Dublin. A new housing estate in Portmarnock had most of the roof tiles stripped from many houses. I was driving at 1.30 AM along the Stillorgan road near Foxrock and the trees were meeting each other from both sides of the road forming a tunnel. That road was a much narrower dual carriageway in those days. I’m amazed that this storm is never mentioned when big storms are talked about on radio or television. I have never experienced winds or storms as bad as that one.
So, there was a storm in dublin and cork yesterday, the rest of the country was very lucky !!!
@eamonn farrell: well said eamonn, pics only show dublin and cork, as we know the rest of rural ireland does not matter in some eyes
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