Updated 19.55
Storm Eva is set to make landfall later today, with winds gusting up to 120 kilometres per hour.
Hundreds of homes have been rendered powerless as the storm resulted in power-lines being felled.
The Chairman of the National Emergency Coordination Group is John Barry had the following to say:
A Status Orange wind warning will be in place from lunchtime for Counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Clare.
A status yellow wind warning will be in place for the rest of the country.
Local authorities in coastal counties have been taking precautions to protect flood-prone areas.
Met Éireann forecaster Joanna Donnelly, says today's high tide levels will create extra problems:
"The coastal areas always most at risk anyway, but particularly where those strongest winds affecting the north west coast, if there is a high tide at the same time the on-shore surges then will be causing problems to coastal defences."
It comes as the Flood Response Co-ordination Group meets to assess areas at risk around the country.
The storm coincides with high tidal levels, and local authorities are implementing flood defence measures for areas at risk.
Vincent Murray is a senior Engineer with Limerick City and County Council:
"As a precaution we are putting in place our normal flood defences, which include flood gates, flood barriers and sand bag enough areas vulnerable to flooding".
Finding solutions
Junior Minister for the OPW Simon Harris says he is working on a co-ordinated approach to help flooding victims:
"We're consulting with organisations like the IFA, they've been stakeholders, they've been at all the consultations. The draft maps are out there, they're online, they're in local authority offices and by this time next Summer we will have solutions, where solutions exist."
"Where solutions don't exist - engineering solutions - we have to look at things like flood forecasting, community resilience and the individual protection for homeowners."
A satellite image from Met Éireann
Meanwhile, with levels on the river Shannon due to rise slightly over Christmas, The Flood response group meets at 11 this morning, to assess the measures needed to safeguard homes over the Christmas period.
