Donegal County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team has met to prepare resources ahead of Storm Ciara this weekend.
The named storm is set to strike Ireland on Saturday and last into Sunday and the west coast is expected to be worst affected.
Met Eireann has upgraded the wind warning to a Status Orange alert for Donegal, Mayo and Galway on Saturday afternoon. The public is being advised to take care as winds will reach mean speeds of 65-80km/h with gusts of up to 120 km/h. The Status Orange alert is valid from 12noon to 4pm on Saturday.
The risk of damaging wind gusts will continue into Sunday, as a nationwide Status Yellow warning is in place from 9am Saturday to midnight on Sunday. A Status Yellow rain warning is also in place for all counties from 12noon Saturday to 3pm Sunday.
Met Eireann is warning of a risk of localised flooding this weekend, especially over the western half of the country, as heavy rain showers strike.
Donegal County Council said their Severe Weather Assessment Team has been meeting in response to Storm Ciara and are continuing to monitor local conditions closely as the storm progresses.
The public is being asked to be vigilant with regards to falling trees and debris. Heavy rain may overwhelm drains and gullies leading to surface flooding and property owners and occupiers are being asked to check drains and gullies for potential blockages.
Sea surges are forecasted along the west coast of up to 1.0m and spring tides are also due from Saturday through to Wednesday. The public are being asked to be extra vigilant along the coast. The Irish Coast Guard is advising the public along coastal areas to ‘Stay back, stay high and stay dry’.
The Council is asking property owners and occupiers of properties in areas susceptible to coastal flooding to be vigilant.
Motorists are being asked to take extra care while driving during stormy weather and to be extra vigilant of cyclists and pedestrians and to be mindful of the risk of falling trees and debris.
There is also a risk of power outages and the public are being asked to be prepared and to check on elderly or vulnerable family and neighbours to make sure they are safe and warm.
Donegal County Councils Severe Weather Assessment Team will continue to monitor the situation and all Council Services are in a state of readiness as is the norm.
The Council can be contacted during normal business hours on 074 91 53900 and in the event of an out of hours emergency the Council’s Road Service can be contacted on 074 91 72288. For emergencies requiring the assistance of the Fire Service call 999 or 112.
You can keep up to date on conditions by signing up for free alerts to your phone by registering at www.mapalerter.com/donegal or by following Donegal County Council on Facebook or on Twitter @DonegalCouncil.
