AFTERMATH
FALLEN AND WEAKENED TREES BIGGEST HAZARD TO PUBLIC SAFETY AFTER EX-HURRICANE OPHELIA
SLIGO escaped the worst of tropical storm Ophelia on Monday with no loss of life or major structural damage reported.
Trees were the main hazard to public safety, with over twenty toppled by the storm down onto roads all over the county.
Lives were undoubtedly saved by the fact that so many people heeded the warnings and stayed indoors, particularly with so many trees crashing down onto roads.
A couple and their two young children had a lucky escape in Maugherow when the roof of their mobile home blew off.
The couple were living in the mobile home while they await a Council house.
Cllr Thomas Healy said the family left to stay with relatives on Monday night but would have to source alternative accommodation now that their mobile home had no roof.
Cllr Martin Baker said there was no structural damage reported in Riverstown.
“There’s a nice few trees down, there’s still a few being cleared this morning,” he said. “We seemed to escape the worst of it. People checked on their neighbours. There was one elderly lady on oxygen living in a remote area but she was moved into St John’s on Sunday for a few days as a precaution.
“The home help are brilliant, they don’t get half the credit they deserved,” said Cllr Baker.
Cathaoirleach of Sligo County Council Cllr Seamus Kilgannon told The Sligo Champion he intends on raising the issue of tall trees at Council level.
“It’s something I certainly intend to raise - there has to be remedial action taken so that if a tree falls, it won’t bring power lines down with it,” he said.
“The ESB have plenty of money to re- move trees/poles when it happens, why can’t they go out before it happens?
“It looks like something that could be avoided. You look at all the people without power around the country for days because of trees fallen down,” he said.
“These events are going to keep happening more often as well,” he added.
Cllr Kilgannon paid tribute to the crews from Sligo County Council also: “I want to thank them for their trojan work, particularly Tom Kilfeather and his team and Kevin Colreavy who kept councillors up to date on what was happening around the county on the hour from late Sunday right through to Monday night. That took some work,” he said.
Teams of 45 men from the Council worked round the clock on Monday clearing the trees as they fell on roads in Sligo town, Monasteraden, Bunninadden, Gurteen, Parkes’ Castle, Riverstown, Ballyrush, Dunally, Carrownanty, Mount Irwin, Coolaney, Culleenamore, Dooney Rock, Bundoran Road, Carrickbanagher, Knockminna Cemetery, Lissadell Road, Ardconnell Road Ballymote and the Holy Well.
Holborn Street was closed for a period
after construction hoarding blew down.
Sligo County Council’s Severe Weather Co-ordination Committee met throughout the day and evening on Monday co-ordinating the Local Authority’s response to the Status Red weather alert issued by Met Eireann.
While the fallen trees have been cleared, the Council warned that the severe winds have weakened some trees and landowners were asked to check trees on their property.
Many routes remain hazardous for this reason.
Schools closed across the county on Monday and remained closed yesterday to assess storm damage.
There were power cuts in certain pockets around the county reported, such as Kevinsfort, Collooney and Riverstown Monday but power was restored within hours.
The HSE warned that people could expect some delays in their appointments and discharges from hospitals over the next few days as they catch up after all the cancelled appointments on Monday.
In the event of a cancellation, people will be contacted by the relevant service and their appointment will be rescheduled as quickly as possible.
Public transport resumed services also.