AN ORANGE WIND warning remains in place for nine counties as Storm Eleanor continues to hit Ireland.
The storm has caused localised flooding in the west and 27,000 homes remain without power according to Electric Ireland.
Met Éireann last night extended the orange warning for Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo, Sligo, Clare, Cork, Kerry and Limerick until 2pm today. A yellow warning will remain in place for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Waterford until the same time.
Last night, Defence Forces were called in to assist Galway County Council.
Drivers in affected areas are being advised to drive with care after trees fell last night amid winds of over 100 km/hr.
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection says that staff will be available this morning to support householders in affected areas.
As the clean-up operations begin, financial supports will be made available to householders affected and the Humanitarian Assistance scheme activated as necessary.
The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty TD said:
We are on standby to help anyone whose homes may have been affected by today’s flooding. Staff from the Department will be available to support those in the affected areas tomorrow morning and we are ready to activate the HAID at anytime should residential properties have been damaged from extreme weather today.
“I would urge families and individuals in need of assistance to contact their local Intreo Centre where our Community Welfare Service Teams are available to assist them.”
Iarnród Éireann says that there is no disruption to services, while Bus Éireann services were affected by flooding last night.
Minister of State at the OPW with responsibility for flood relief Kevin Boxer Moran says that he will be asking why a flood warning wasn’t issued in Galway, but said that today “is not for the blame game”.
These extreme weather events are happening too often and we have to look at why. That’s the real issue today, not the blame game.
Moran said that flood risk maps are due for Galway at the end of the month and permanent flood defence planning will be based on those.
Clare County Council warned people earlier that there was a risk of coastal flooding around the Shannon Estuary.
ESB Networks also advised customers to keep an eye on the progress of the storm on Met Eireann and to charge phones, tablets and laptops to pre-empt any possible power cuts.
You can check power outages in your local area on the ESB’s Powercheck tool, here.
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