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From the Irish Independent
Worst cyclone in 50 years rages our way
130km/h winds n Schools told to close n ESB alert as Ophelia gathers pace
The
Independent (Ireland),
15
October, 2017
Emergency
measures will be taken in the next 48 hours as the country braces
itself for a ferocious storm comparable with Hurricane Debbie, the
most powerful cyclone ever to hit Ireland.
As
Hurricane Ophelia approaches, a status red severe weather warning has
been issued for coastal areas with an orange alert for the rest of
the country.
Experts
have warned that the significant wind event will bring gusts in
excess of 130km/h in some parts of the country.
Met Eireann has compared Ophelia to Debbie, which hit Ireland in 1961, killing 15 people when it brought record-breaking winds and caused severe disruption.
"It
has the potential to be as bad as Debbie," said Pat Clarke of
Met Eireann. "The track is pretty much consistent now. These
things can take on a life of their own but it certainly has the
potential to be similar [to Debbie]."
At
this stage, there is strong evidence from weather forecast models
that the remnants of Ophelia will track close to or over parts of
Ireland, but at present, there are still a wide range of possible
outcomes.
The
Department of Education has advised school closures in the worst hit
counties along the western seaboard, while the ESB is on standby to
deal with expected outages.
Met
Eireann forecasters will be tracking Ophelia's evolution in the next
24 hours, with emergency response teams still hopeful the country
will escape the worst of the storm.
The
US National Hurricane Center said yesterday Ophelia had become a
"rare category 3 hurricane south of the Azores", making it
the "sixth major hurricane of the 2017 season".
"No
significant change in strength is expected today, but gradual
weakening should begin tonight or Sunday. However, Ophelia is still
expected to remain a powerful cyclone with hurricane force winds for
the next couple of days as it approaches Ireland," it said.
The
issue of red level severe weather warnings is a comparatively rare
event and implies that people take action to protect themselves
and/or their properties.
This
could be by moving their families out of the danger zone temporarily,
staying indoors, or by other specific actions aimed at mitigating the
effects of the weather conditions.
The
Office of Emergency Planning in the Department of Defence has taken a
lead role in co-ordinating a response across State responders.
Ophelia
is expected to pass Ireland tomorrow, with forecasters warning of
severe disruption, coastal flooding and structural damage to
buildings. People have also been warned of the risks posed by falling
trees with transport infrastructure likely to be hit along the
western seaboard.
Bus
Eireann has already moved to cancel school bus services for students
in counties Cork, Kerry, Clare, Mayo and Galway, where the storm is
likely to cause most disruption. The company said it made the move to
ensure the children would not be endangered in anyway. Some schools
along the west coast may be forced to close because of the status red
wind warning.
Environment
Minister Denis Naughten yesterday warned that the country should
prepare for more "very severe" storms which will "ravage
through people's homes".
"You
are going to see an increased frequency of extreme weather conditions
like the 100-year floods happening every five or six years," Mr
Naughten told the Sunday Independent.
"The
climate change scientist won't relate any one particular event to
climate change but the reality is we have seen in Ireland over the
last decade very unusual weather incidents that would have been
spread out over a much larger period up until now," he said.
The
Department of Education advises that schools "should consider
not opening where a Status Red weather warning related to wind is
forecast to coincide with the period/s during which students and
staff would be expected to be travelling to and from school.
"Whether
the school should open later in the day where an improvement to the
weather is forecast is a decision which should be taken in
consultation with An Garda Siochana, the local authorities, school
transport services and other appropriate agencies based in the
school's area."
The
Department said it had been informed by Bus Eireann school buses in
Cork, Kerry, Clare, Mayo and Galway will not operate tomorrow due to
the Status Red weather warning.
"Ensuring
the safety of children, teachers and all those who work in schools is
of the utmost importance to the Department," the statement said.
Met
Eireann meteorologist Joanna Donnelly warned any alteration of
Ophelia's trajectory means the storm could have a greater impact on
other counties.
"If
this storm veers of course by up to 100km it could change the impact
dramatically," she said.
Meteorologist
Pat Clarke said the hurricane, which will be downgraded to an extra
tropical storm when it hits Ireland, was moving slowly last night but
it will gather speed as it gets closer to Irish waters.
"The
storm itself will stay off-shore but we will get the effects of it.
It is going to pick up speed when it leaves the warm waters behind it
and it gets caught up in the normal flow patterns that exist at this
time of year. Once that happens, it will start moving really fast on
Sunday night, especially during the course of Monday. Monday is going
to be the critical time."
He
compared Ophelia to Debbie, which hit Ireland in 1961, bringing
record breaking winds and caused severe disruption, killing 15
people. While Met Eireann was not warning of casualties last night,
Mr Clarke did say the weather warnings must be taken seriously.
"People
need to be careful. We do not issue warnings lightly. And they were
brought in to highlight weather events that offer a threat to life,
limb and property," said Mr Clarke.
"The
brunt of it will be borne by western and south western counties but
even the orange level winds are strong enough to produce some
structural damage and cause disruption.
"If
the winds are not as high in some other areas, because trees are in
full leaf there is an issue. It is one of the reasons we gave an
orange warning for everywhere but we are trying to get the impact and
the sensory impact out there.
"If
trees are very exposed and they are full of leaf, there could be
issues. There has been a lot of rain so far this autumn and the root
systems may not be as good as they would be so that can cause trees
to fall.
"It
is not just buildings that pose a risk. There is a threat of some
coastal flooding and we could see heavy rain but we are more
concerned about the wind. Overall we will see a high impact event for
Ireland. There is going to be some heavy and thundery bursts of rain
but it is certainly a wind event."
Sunday
Independent
