Press release
Public urged to remain vigilant following Storm Debi
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Published on
Last updated on
The National Directorate for Emergency and Fire Management (NDFEM) called a further National Emergency Coordination Group meeting this morning (Monday 13 November 2023) in the wake of Storm Debi.
Met Éireann advise that storm Debi has now moved off into the Irish Sea. A Status Yellow rain and wind warning remains in effect for all of Ireland. River levels are running high, particularly in the Connaught, Shannon region, Donegal and Cavan.
Local Authorities, who are the lead agency for the response to severe weather events on the ground, have activated their Crisis Management Teams and Local Coordination Groups and are responding to any disruption caused by Storm Debi – including restoring road networks following any weather disruption.
In particular, there has been significant flooding in Galway city and local response teams are dealing with the impacts. Department of Social Protection and Department of Enterprise supports are being made available for households and businesses directly impacted.
There have been some power outages across the country. Customers can check estimated restoration times or report an outage on Powercheck.ie. Safety of public and crews is critical. ESB Networks will be making safe any faults which occur throughout the day and restoring supply remotely and on site when safe to do so. At 10.30am this morning, 80,000 customers remained without supply (down from 100,000 earlier) and it is expected that power will be restored to most homes throughout the day.
Public transport is back fully operational with some delays and some local disruption. The public are encouraged to use the relevant public transport provider websites to check for any disruption to services at local level.
Speaking after this morning’s meeting, Keith Leonard, Director-General of the NDFEM advised the public:
“Although the storm has passed, there are still hazards out there – particularly fallen trees or branches and fallen wires. All road users should slow down and be aware of the dangers of fallen trees and debris. I would remind people that it is critical that they never ever touch or approach fallen wires. Be sure to stay safe and stay clear of fallen or damaged electricity wires.
“Given the disruption in some areas, people should check their travel plans in advance of setting out on their journey.
“We will continue to coordinate activities across all relevant state bodies to ensure we can address the impacts of the storm and, as always, we would advise everybody to monitor national and local media, including social media, over the course of the day to keep up to date with the latest information.”
The NDFEM Crisis Management Team continues to monitor developments, liaising with Local Authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams and Crisis Management Teams who are actively dealing with the disruption caused by the storm.