South bears the brunt of storm’s might and fury
CORK bore the brunt of Ophelia’s fury and the region is expected to account for the bulk of the damages bill. Sports grounds, a bridge, a community school, homes and advertising structures were severely damaged by winds that, off the West Cork coast, reached a violent peak of 190kmh.
More than 400,000 people were without power at the height of the storm, with 200,000 of those in counties Cork, Tipperary, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.
It could take ESB crews several days to fully restore services to all customers, such is the scale of the damage to the network, particularly in Munster.
The ESB said it has repair crews ready, but works can only begin when it is safe to do so.
Irish Water also warned that boil-water notices could be introduced in some areas across Munster. Mobile telephone networks were also affected.
More than 400 trees are believed to have been torn down by the storm in Cork alone.
At one point, the town of Cobh was cut off by three large trees that blocked the Fota road and access to Great Island.
Storm Ophelia’s fury proved every bit as destructive as Met Éireann had feared.
Fastnet Rock Lighthouse off Baltimore in west Cork recorded one wind gust of 190kmh. Incredibly, Kerry escaped comparable damage despite, like Cork, being predicted to sustain the brunt of Ophelia’s violence.
In Cork city, schools, sports grounds and homes were damaged.
Major structural damage is believed to have been caused to Cork’s Daly Bridge, famously known as ‘Shakey Bridge’.
Cork City Council engineers are to conduct a structural examination of the bridge.
Parts of Douglas Community School gym roof were blown off at the height of the storm. The school was empty at the time after closing its doors yesterday.
All schools will remain closed again today.
The Derrynane stand at the Turner’s Cross home of Cork City was also affected.
Fears are mounting that the damage could enforce crowd size restrictions for the celebrations if, as expected, Cork City win the league.
Meanwhile, Passage West GAA Club suffered roof damage to its facility, while Schull’s Irish Coastguard station also had its roof damaged.
At one point, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney tweeted that the roof was blown off the shed at his Minane Bridge home in Cork.
A number of homes in the Hollyhill and Knocknaheeny areas – one of the highest points in Cork city –
were damaged by flying debris and winds that dislodged roof tiles.
Miraculously no one was injured in Cork city and county even as the region suffered travel chaos.
The violent winds of Hurricane Ophelia also caused major damage to a Cork church.
A large portion of the roof of Kilcorney Church, located just outside Millstreet, was blown off at the height of the storm. Substantial damage was caused to the church with at least one-quarter of the roof including its rafters being torn off by winds which gusted to almost 130kmh.
Former Mayor of Cork, Councillor John Paul O’Shea, said it was “very, very sad” to see the scale of the damage inflicted on Kilcorney Church.
Savage
Eight trees fell in The Marina in Cork, blocking the roadway and the main access route to Páirc Uí Chaoimh. Cork Airport was also forced to suspend all flights due to the savage wind gusts.
In west Cork, substantial damage was caused to a number of boats that broke free of their moorings at the height of the storm.
Cork County Council roads manager Tom Stritch urged people to drive with extreme caution for the next 24-36 hours.
In Co Limerick, a number of fallen trees caused traffic chaos with roads in Bruff, Croagh and Grange all blocked. In Kerry, a number of trees blocked roads with the worst-hit area around Cahirciveen.