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Big thaw leads to risk of flooding in some areas

Updated 12:05 The Government is hopeful the country will be back to normal by tomorrow, following...
Newstalk
Newstalk

09.32 4 Mar 2018


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Big thaw leads to risk of floo...

Big thaw leads to risk of flooding in some areas

Newstalk
Newstalk

09.32 4 Mar 2018


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Updated 12:05

The Government is hopeful the country will be back to normal by tomorrow, following days of disruption due to heavy snow and ice.

Repair works are underway to return power to thousands of customers.

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Wexford remains worst affected – with 6,000 homes, farms and businesses still waiting for service to be restored.

The worst of the extreme weather has now passed, however Met Eireann has now extended its status orange warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Tipperary and Waterford. 

Met Eireann forecaster Vincent O'Shea says it'll take a few days for the snow to clear in some areas:

Big thaw leads to risk of flooding in some areas

00:00:00 / 00:00:00

"A lot of the midlands; the south east, the south midlands are still heavily under the influence of lying snow," he said.

"Now that is not going to melt of course immediately.

"It could take another day or two for it to completely clear.

"In fact, it would probably up to Tuesday before it has cleared those areas -like for example fields and hilly areas."

Met Éireann has warned that despite the thaw, widespread lying snow and ice continuing to lead to hazardous conditions. 

It said the melting snow could lead to some to localized water flooding –“especially in the smaller mountainous catchments and in urban areas.”

Flooding

The National Emergency Coordination Group has warned that the thaw could lead to localized surface water ponding where drains and gulleys are blocked.

Members of the public are asked to be on the lookout for accumulations of melt water which could lead to flooding.

The main road network has reopened, however drivers have been warned to exercise caution and “drive at speeds appropriate to the conditions.”

Urban drivers are particularly are asked to travel at low speeds and watch for cyclists and pedestrians who may be on the road due to obstruction of footpaths.

The group said that Principal Response Agencies are still in full crisis management mode in some of the worst affected areas, adding that “it is still going to take some days for conditions to improve.”

Power

ESB teams will be working to restore power to affected homes throughout the day.

Spokesperson Conor Healy said the crews are making real progress and they also have a safety message as the thaw continues:

“The improving weather conditions obviously mean that people will start to come out and some of those people may encounter either fallen or low-hanging electricity wires,” he said.

“We would appeal to people not to approach those wires and to report them to ESB Networks at our emergency number 1850 372 999.”

You can check for real time updates on power supply issues at the ESB’s Powercheck website.

Water

Irish Water is appealing to all customers to conserve their water use.

Water supply is under pressure in some areas because of people leaving their taps running.

The increased demand has seen reservoir levels dropping and the utility has urged people to turn off their taps.

Overnight water restrictions are in place in parts of Longford, Westmeath, and Galway.

Transport

The majority of public transport services are getting back to normal today – although passengers should check timetables before setting out.

Iarnród Éireann expects to run a full service on the vast majority of routes today.

The operator said its staff have worked flat out in extremely difficult conditions to clear lines and points from snow. Oscars take place tonight

The majority of Bus Éireann services are operating with some cancellations in the east.

The company said "some of the key large regional routes into the East – including those serving hospitals, colleges and Dublin Airport and city services – have commenced this morning."

Expressway intercity services are operating, with some delays.

An update on the resumption of school bus services will be provided later today.

In Dublin, a full DART service has resumed.

Dublin Bus is offering a limited service.

The Luas Green Line has now opened between Sandyford and Broombridge in both directions.

There is no service between Sandyford and Brides Glen.

The Red Line from the Point to Red Cow. There is no service from the Red Cow to Tallaght or Saggart.

Trams are leaving every 30 minutes.

Flights have been taking off and landing at Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Ireland West airports, with Aer Lingus expected to operate a full schedule.

Schools

Schools colleges of further education and third level institutions are expected to re-open tomorrow where possible.

Each school will decide whether to open their doors to students or to remain closed, depending on the conditions in their area.

Parents will be informed of decisions by individual schools today.


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