Latest: Gardaí helping people get to shelter in Cork ahead of Storm Eunice 

IN the hours before Storm Eunice lands, Cork community gardaí are patrolling the city centre and surrounding areas to ensure homeless people have shelter.

A red weather warning has been put in place for the county from 3am tonight, with Met Éireann predicting "severe and damaging winds"  of up to 130km/hour along with sleet, heavy rain, and possible flooding.

Sergeant Michael O’Connell, who is sergeant-in-charge of community policing in the city, told The Echo that community gardaí are making with anyone who is sleeping rough and helping them to get to safety.

“Our gardaí are out this evening and they’re making sure that anyone who needs accommodation can get to shelter for the night, and we’re making sure that nobody is out exposed to the elements,” Sergeant O’Connell said.

Emergency accommodation has been made available for the night and community gardaí will be encouraging people to avail of it.

“It’s going to be a very bad night, and emergency accommodation has been secured by Cork City Council and Cork Simon, and we are urging people not to stay out tonight."

Response crews in place

Cork County Council has placed crews and contractors on standby in response to the storm.

The council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team has deployed sandbags and pumps in areas known to be affected by coastal flood events.

The public is advised to stay away from coastal areas, as strong gusts and high waves are expected.

“Some disruption is likely along with a possibility of coastal and spot flooding, especially at high tide,” the council said.

“Property owners, residents and visitors are advised to take necessary precautions for this dangerous weather event.” 

Such precautions include tying down loose items outside, having a torch and spare batteries ready, clearing window sills, closing curtains, and staying indoors.

One area in which residents are particularly concerned is Bantry, which was hit with severe flooding during Storm Barra in December.

Speaking with The Echo, local councillor Danny Collins said that the town is expecting to see the worst of the storm over at about 5am.

“There is a natural fear in the area because we don’t know how forceful it will be,” Mr Collins said.

“For the past two or three years we’ve been hit very badly. Over 21 businesses were affected by Storm Barra. Any time a warning comes like this we worry.” 

Mr Collins wished to thank local Area Engineer Ruth O’Brien and her team for their preparations.

“They have been out all day giving sandbags to all the local businesses and getting the pumps ready to get the water out. No doubt they’ll be on call for the next 24 hours,” he said.

“Finger’s crossed this will blow without hitting Bantry too hard but that doesn’t look too promising at the moment.”

The council is asking people to keep in with neighbours, especially those living alone, and to rope off any damaged areas once it is safe to do so.

Motorists are advised to drive with caution as conditions may be hazardous with surface flooding possible.

Issues such as fallen trees, flooding, and road damage should be reported to the relevant council office, while disruption to power supply or fallen wires can be reported to ESB Networks at 1800 372 999.

In the event of a disruption to water supply, Irish Water can be reached at 1800 278 278.

The County Council’s offices, including Civic Amenity Sites, will close until 12.30pm tomorrow.

City response

Cork City Council's Crisis Management Team will deploy operations crews in the city after the red warning has lifted to assess and to deal with any damage or obstruction caused by the weather.

There is no flooding predicted for Cork City during the period of the storm and the Cork Business Association said that it is "cautiously optimistic" that it will without causing too much obstruction to trade.

The City Council's public services, such as offices, parks, civic amenity sites and libraries, will not open to the public until the later time of 10am tomorrow.

The multi-storey car parks at Paul St and North Main Street will also open at 10am.

The City Council’s Customer Service Unit has extended its Friday opening hours and will be available from 8am on Friday morning on 021 492 4000.

Schools to close

Due to the extreme nature of Storm Eunice, the Department of Education is advising that schools in counties where Status Red wind warnings are in place not open tomorrow.

The department said: "Remote teaching and learning should commence where possible, in line with schools’ remote teaching and learning plans.

"All schools should keep up-to-date with the current weather warnings which are carried on all national and local news bulletins and in particular any change in the status warning for their area."

HSE delays

There may be some disruptions to HSE services across Cork tomorrow due to the impact of Storm Eunice.

In a t statement released today, the South/Southwest Hospital Group, Cork Kerry Community Healthcare and the National Ambulance Service advised the public not to travel during the red weather warning, which is in place from 3am tonight.

The South/South West Hospital Group isn’t currently advising the cancellation of any elective inpatient or outpatient appointments but delays are expected.

“Although the red weather warning for the area is expected to have ed after 8am, we expect that of the public will be delayed in reaching appointments,” the HSE said.

“It is very important that no one travels during the red weather warning. Staff in our services are expecting and will fully understand that people will be delayed.

“We thank the public in advance for their patience as there will inevitably be knock-on delays throughout the day.” 

All scheduled Covid-19 vaccination and testing centres will be closed until the red warning has ed and day service and health centre appointments will only go ahead after the warning returns to status orange, which is expected to come into effect from 8am.

The National Ambulance Service will prioritise emergency calls during the weather event but is urging the general public to “think carefully” before calling.

The service said that response to emergency calls may be hindered by road conditions but that personnel will do their utmost to reach those in need.

Storm to quickly

Met Eireann predicts “cyclonic variable winds, veering northwesterly” to reach storm force 10 or violent storm-force 11 at times tonight and on Friday morning on coasts from Howth Head to Roches Pt to Erris Head and on the south Irish Sea.

The national weather forecaster said Storm Eunice will track quickly over Ireland tonight and Friday morning “bringing severe and damaging winds.”

Met Eireann stated:

“Southwest winds veering northwest will reach mean speeds in excess of 80 km/h with gusts in excess of 130 km/h.” 

Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Gerry Murphy, a meteorologist at Met Éireann, said the storm will be "short and sharp" and should have ed by Friday afternoon.

"The storm itself will be gone by Friday afternoon. Beyond that then it'll be windy and showery." 

Mr Murphy said the southwest of the country will start to see winds pick up early on tonight.

Then throughout the night, further rain, sleet and snow will spread across the country.

"The snow will be mainly over the northern half of the country — with the most significant falls of snow over Connacht and Ulster," he said.

The wind will turn very strong overnight, particularly along the south and the west coast, according to Mr Murphy.

"Then those very strong winds will turn to a north-westerly direction, and it'll become extremely strong right across the country tomorrow morning."

Friday night looks set to be a bit quieter with some wintery showers and rain overnight along with snow or sleet as temperatures drop as far as -2.