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A STATUS ORANGE alert for rain will be in place across five counties on Sunday.
The orange alert in place across Cork and Waterford was today extended to counties Carlow, Kilkenny, and Wexford.
In Cork and Waterford, the alert is in place from 8am tomorrow until 6pm.
Across Carlow, Kilkenny, and Wexford the Status Orange warning will be enacted from 1pm tomorrow until midnight.
Met Éireann is warning of heavy rain with some intense and thundery downpours, with possible flooding, dangerous driving conditions, and travel disruption.
Meanwhile, all of Munster will be under a Status Yellow alert for wind and rain from 5am on Sunday morning until 8pm, where heavy rain will be accompanied by strong and gusty winds.
The same alert will be in place from 12 noon tomorrow until 2am on Monday morning across Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Wexford, and Wicklow.
Cork County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened yesterday evening ahead of the bout of bad weather, with crews deployed earlier yesterday to inspect known risk locations across Cork.
Crews will continue to monitor the situation throughout the weekend, the council said. Pumping arrangements will be in place in known problem locations.
The council is asking members of the public to exercise caution as driving conditions may be dangerous, with surface flooding possible.
Waterford City and County Council’s severe weather management team also met this morning and is monitoring the situation.
Ground crews are on stand-by to deal with any issues that may arise, and the public has been advised to avoid any unnecessary journeys as driving conditions may be hazardous, with surface water flooding expected.
Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and are reminded to be conscious of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.
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Another brilliant idea that I didn’t think of
**shakes head**
How can it send an SMS text or relay your position if you are outside phone range at sea?
It doesnt relay position. it advises overdue. Position is available as last know position visible to the network which is pretty accurate if coastal
If you wish to minimise the “Search” in Search and Rescue, then dont play with apps, just use approved Marine Radio Safety equipment – the IMO say so and they are the International Authority on such matters:
http://www.imo.org/blast/mainframe.asp?topic_id=69&doc_id=581#mobiles
Mobile phones should not be promoted for use in maritime emergencies. VHF, EPIRBS, SART’s are the approved method of relaying your distress. This app may cause more harm than good with users relying solely on this disregarding the fact that mobile coverage is needed. The tit Bon homme tragedy shows just how deadly disregarding the correct methods on favor of a mobile phone can be. This goes against all training in good seamanship.
All proven points bit I think this app is geared towards more inland and coastal water users such as canoes, small day boays, leisure boat users, who may not have a vhf on board or higher, so the coverage may not be an issue and having used it you pre program your course and your due arrival time and if you go over the allotted time then the main system alerts a number you give to raise the alarm, they then ring the coast guard and with a little help from some tracking the coast guard would have a fair idea where you might be….anything which can help narrow a search area can cut down a response time….it’s a handy free app for those who want a bit of safety but can’t afford, in these times we live in to have a full marine communications centre on their boat
I agree it’s a handy aid but this sort of promotion is not relaying any of the dangers related with its use to inexperienced mariners. It would be more prudent to encourage people to carry a relatively cheap handheld VHF. There are always issues when it comes to the use of mobiles for such things. Batteries don’t last long on smartphones, contact numbers input don’t receive the text for whatever reason etc. No coverage, coverage but no Internet. At least with the use of VHF the mayday is immediate and all vessels in the area can respond immediately. Mobile phone usage is NOT encourage within the maritime community.
All I’m saying is yes it’s a useful aid but much more reliable resources should be focused on, and the dangers of mobile phone usage really need to be highlighted. I just feel it could actually increase the response time to an emergency.
Michelle – you Dad in his posts misses the point that the phone doesnt send the sms messages – its the server. So you could even leave you phone on the quay side and the texts would still be sent out at the right time to the right people and all you trip data incl whos onboard, where going, lifejackets carried, etc etc will be available to the rescue services including all your historic voyage patterns. Indeed this app will work best when combined with an EPIRB or PLB. Gary should have accepted an invite to attend the public briefing I would have thought?
Chris, firstly these are my own opinions. I’m not sure if you are aware, but I am a seafarer, qualified to chief mate with a BSc(hons) in Nautical Science, so when it comes to safety of life at sea I’m more than qualified to form my own opinions on such matters. You seem to be missing my point also, I am saying its a useful aid, but the approved and tested means are what the coastguard should be promoting for water related activities. You will find that most maritime organisations will not promote the use of mobile phones in maritime safety.
Agreed. But thats not what it does. look at what it does – dont assume its a comms device. its not
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