After the blizzards get set for the f loods

THE public are being urged to stay away from rivers and water as melting snow and ice give rise to a risk of flash flooding.

Conditions remain ‘treacherous’ in some parts of the country and it is important that people are not lulled into a ‘false sense of security’, the Taoiseach warned yesterday.

His comments came after a man in his 80s was killed in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, when his car left the road and hit a wall at 10am.

Met Éireann downgraded its Status Red snow and ice warning to Orange yesterday for the first time in three days.

However, the alert will remain in place for much of the country until midday today, as lying snow and ice makes many roads impassable.

Around 100 Ryanair and Aer Lingus flights to and from Dublin Airport were cancelled yesterday due to the extension of Met Éireann’s Red warning from 6am to 9am. Numerous other airlines including KLM, Air France and BA also cancelled services.

The airport was fully operational from around 10am but passengers experienced knock-on delays.

Public transport slowly returned to normal with Bus Éireann running in all cities except Waterford. Rail services were back on and the Dart was operational in Dublin, although Luas services were restricted.

The bulk of the snow and ice should be washed away by rain and a nationwide rise in temperatures overnight and today. However, while the worst of the cold and blizzards are over, people are being urged to prepare for flooding.

Ireland experienced ‘an exceptionally severe period of weather’ last week which was ‘on a par with the big snows of 1947, 1962/3 and 1982,’ according to the National Emergency Coordination Group.

The heavy snowfall brought by Storm Emma has diminished and warmer air has pushed out the Siberian cold front nicknamed the ‘Beast from the East’.

Met Éireann has forecast dry and cloudy conditions nationwide today but with scattered outbreaks of rain and drizzle in the south and east.

Temperatures will reach 4C to 7C and ‘melting snow will lead to increased river levels and surface water flooding’. As the thaw sets in, the NECG warned people to exercise ‘high levels of caution’.

Speaking after a meeting of the NECG on Friday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said 230 snow ploughs had been deployed to clear roads while 239 specialist gritters had spread 6,000 tonnes of grit. Most motorways were virtually clear yesterday and the Office of Public Works is now working to clear secondary roads.

By yesterday, the HSE had dealt with 1,300 emergency calls with the help of the Defence Forces and Civil Defence, as well as the public.

Irish Water has put restrictions in place in Carraroe, Co. Galway, and this has the potential to spread to other areas as reservoir levels – particularly in Dublin, Cork, Louth and Meath – continue to fall due to increased demand.

Around 13,000 homes were without water yesterday with the worst area affected in Gorey, Co. Wexford.

ESB said up to 20,000 homes were still without power, although this was 30,000 just 24 hours earlier.

A decision on the reopening of schools and third-level institutions is expected today but most are expected to be back in operation.

Drifting snow will continue to cause problems with some areas expected to be inaccessible for some days, warned Seán Hogan, chair of the NECG.

Gardaí have warned motorists not to drive unless they have to as many roads are still treacherous.

The AA said roads in Kerry, Laois, Louth, Limerick, Tipperary, Westmeath, Carlow, Clare, Offaly, Waterford, Kilkenny, parts of Cork, Meath, Kildare, Wicklow, south and west Dublin are particularly bad.

‘Melting snow will lead to increased river levels’