Thousands without water and electricity as cold snap grips RoI
A fresh weather warning has been issued for the Republic of Ireland
- Published
Thousands of customers in the Republic of Ireland are still without water and electricity as snow and icy weather conditions continue to grip much of the country.
All non-urgent outpatients appointments in a number of hospitals have been cancelled and thousands of homes are without power.
Schools in several counties were closed on the first day of term.
Bus and rail services were also impacted as a result of the conditions, which were most prominently felt in counties Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Limerick, and southern Leinster.
Irish national weather forecaster Met Éireann issued a fresh yellow warning for snow and ice on Monday afternoon for the entire country until 06:00 local time on Friday.
An orange warning for low temperatures and ice issued for 22 counties, came into effect at 20:00 on Tuesday and is in place until 10:00 on Wednesday.
The warning is for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Cavan, and Monaghan, as well as Munster and Connacht.
A separate orange warning for low temperatures will come in at 18:00 on Wednesday and will last until 11:00 on Thursday morning.
That warning is for Leinster, Munster and Connacht, as well as counties Cavan and Monaghan.
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Water shortages
The water service Uisce Éireann had been working to restore water supplies to 43,000 customers in north Cork, Limerick, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin.
As of 17:00 local time on Tuesday, it was working to restore supply to about 8,000 customers who were without water in Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry.
However, Uisce Éireann said that "figure is expected to rise in the coming days with the impact of the status orange weather warning".
Earlier, it said that supplies to a further 27,000 people are at risk due to low reservoir levels.
Head of water operations, Margaret Attridge, said crews alongside local authority teams are working in difficult, freezing conditions to access water treatment plants and pump stations to return water supplies to those affected by bursts on the network and electricity outages.
She added: "We are urging people to protect outside taps and to insulate exposed pipes and tanks which are particularly vulnerable to freezing.
"We are asking people to check for leaks and to turn off water to exterior pipes or unoccupied premises."
She urged people to continue to conserve water and to report any leaks on the public network.
Power cuts
ESB Networks, which runs the power grid, said that about 6,500 customers remain without power across the country. The main locations affected are Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry.
A spokesperson said: "We anticipate power restoration will take a number of days in those areas that are worst affected due to the hazardous weather conditions and accessibility challenges."
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, ESB Networks regional manager Brian Tapley said it would continue working late into Tuesday evening and "that number will come down somewhat and large amounts of restoration will take place tomorrow, but we may still have some customers out until Thursday".
On Monday, there was disruption to incoming and outgoing flights at Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports.
The Defence Forces said on Tuesday that a total of 135 personnel and 56 vehicles have been deployed so far to assist during the adverse weather, with "operations still ongoing".
It said this included assisting with the transportation of essential healthcare workers and patients, air assistance to the ESB for line inspection, clearing snow and ice and "the deployment of an ambulance, complete with a crew of three Defence Forces paramedics, to University Hospital Kerry in Tralee".
On Monday, Tánaiste (the Republic's deputy prime minister) Micheál Martin thanked the Civil Defence teams for their assistance.
"This essential ongoing work has included assisting HSE staff in transporting palliative care and dialysis patients; helping Gardaí with vehicles stranded on roads; assistance to homes with no power or water; the transport of healthcare staff, and the provision of fuel for generators for vulnerable home care patients," the minister said.
"Through their dedication, civil defence personnel have offered significant assistance to people in need during challenging weather conditions."
The National Emergency Co-ordination Group held a meet over the latest weather warnings.
Walkers in the snow at the Rock of Dunamase in County Laois
Northern Ireland's spell of cold weather is continuing with a warning for snow and ice coming into force from 15:00 GMT on Tuesday and due to expire at midday on Wednesday.