THE BIG CLEAN-UP
HURRICANE OPHELIA: KILLER STORM’S TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION
THOUSANDS of people were still without power and water yesterday after Hurricane Ophelia wreaked havoc across Ireland. An army of 3,000 local authority workers, firefighters, roads staff, engineers and health and safety officers worked round the clock to reverse the havoc caused by the 120mph storm. Around 137,000 customers were still without power yesterday afternoon with the worst damage in the South of the country where around 80,000 people also remained without water – a number expected to rise. People in the worst affected areas from Wexford to Skibbereen in Co Cork were asked to conserve their supply while repair work continued and reservoirs re-filled. Soldiers were deployed along with two military vehicles and a pair of helicopters to help assess damage as thousands of ESB staff worked to fix fallen and broken cables. Meanwhile, crews from Northern Ireland joined the repair effort yesterday evening while others from Scotland and France are expected to be drafted in to help today. Three people died when the raging storm – the strongest to hit Ireland in almost 60 years – battered the country on Monday. Former oncology nurse Clare O’neill, who was due to celebrate her 59th birthday yesterday, died when a tree fell on her car in strong winds near Aglish village in Co Waterford. Her mother, aged in her 70s, was injured and taken to Waterford Regional Hospital for treatment. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. Ms O’neill, the first victim of the hurricane, had recently worked with
»»Tributes paid to three who died in fallen tree tragedies