The wrath of Eleanor
AS countless homes and businesses are reeling from the damage caused by Storm Eleanor they are bracing themselves for further flooding to come.
A status yellow wind warning is in place for Munster, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow until 1pm today, with strong winds and heavy rainfall expected to hit this morning and later this afternoon.
Those living in coastal areas of Cork and Kerry are being told to prepare for possible flooding this morning, as similar conditions caused havoc for those in Galway city on Tuesday.
Vicious winds of up to 65kph are being forecast, along with gusts of up to 110kph.
Conditions across the country are expected to settle from Saturday however, temperatures will continue to plummet throughout the weekend, dropping to as low as -5C by Sunday.
The ESB has restored power to around 150,000 homes, farms and businesses that saw their supply cut off as Storm Eleanor wrecked destruction across the country, reaching winds of up to 155kph.
The aftermath of the storm left devastation for businesses in Galway city, with those based in the docks area submerged by flood water, causing substantial damage. Business owners are furious over what they say were inadequate warnings around the potential strength of Storm Eleanor – but the Government has defended itself and said it is not always possible to predict storm severity.
Seán Hogan, chair of the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre, yesterday described what happened in Galway as a ‘surprise’. But he defended the warnings put in place, saying he believed they had been ‘adequate’.
Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy also defended the official response to the incoming threat, saying that it is impossible to know which way a storm will track.
Asked if Galway was given sufficient warning, he replied: ‘We have very sophisticated modelling techniques to look at storm events as they come in.
‘But we can’t predict all of the vagaries of weather.
‘Sometimes things will happen that weren’t predicted in the models.
‘But warnings were given to each of the local authorities by both my department and Met Éireann. It’s up to the local authorities to work then based on the warnings they were given.
‘Sometimes we won’t be able to predict everything that will happen and unfortunately some businesses have been hit in Galway.
‘But we are there now, with the supports in place to help those
‘We can’t predict all of the weather’
businesses get back up and running.’
Cyril Murtagh, who works for Seville house management at Dock Street in Galway in a building which houses offices and businesses, insisted the warning was inadequate.
He told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland: ‘The thing about it is, Met Éireann did not give a storm warning for Galway city.
‘The damage has gone right into the offices and buildings next door, a foot high or more.’
But Mr Murphy said: ‘There was adequate planning and preparation but every time we have an event like this we learn lessons.
‘It’s important that we do. We are going to have more storms.
‘That is going to be a feature in terms of severe weather events.’
The minister added there are ‘astronomically high tides for the season’.
He said: ‘So when we have that combined with severe weather events, with storms, with high winds, that causes a risk.
‘There continues to be risks to Galway and other parts of the country.
‘It happened very, very quickly. But then the teams were on the ground, ready to respond, from the local authority and they have been there working overnight.
‘We are now rolling out schemes to help businesses and get them back open as quickly as possible.’
The National Emergency Coordination Group on Severe Weather said in a briefing yesterday that the Department of Social Protection has activated its Humanitarian Assistance Scheme which is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repair.