By Róise Collins
SCHOOLS across Donegal are set to close tomorrow (Friday) as Met Éireann issues a status red weather warning for most of the country.
Storm Éowyn which is due to ravage the country this weekend is expected to bring severe, damaging and destructive gusts of up to 130km/h.
The status red weather warning for Donegal is to take affect from 6am on Friday until 3pm on Friday afternoon.
The decision to close schools, early learning and childcare settings and further and higher education was announced following a meeting of the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) yesterday afternoon.
The violent winds are also expected to cause damage to power lines resulting in widespread power outages across the county.
An ESB spokesperson told the Donegal News that their networks crews and partner contractors at the Killybegs and Letterkenny depots have been making the necessary advance preparations, with all available resources on alert for the onset of Storm Éowyn.
“We continually monitor the latest forecasts and real time events on the electricity network and will deploy our crews to restore supply when it is safe to do so,” they said.
“On a precautionary basis, ESB Networks would like to ask our customers to consider preparations in the event of losing their electricity supply if their area is affected.
“This includes having torches, spare batteries, fully charged phones and their MPRN number (found on the top right corner of each electricity bill) to hand,” the spokesperson added.
Severe structural damage and fallen trees are also expected. This will cause difficult and dangerous travelling conditions which are likely to result in disruption and cancellations to public transport.
“If you come across fallen wires or damaged electricity network, never, ever touch or approach these as they are LIVE and extremely dangerous.
“Please report any damage to electricity infrastructure by calling 1800 372 999.”
Met Éireann are also monitoring the situation closely and will issue warnings as their high resolution model, which provides information two days ahead, comes into play.
“We are in close contact with the NDFEM (The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management) and emergency management stakeholders and will provide timely updates as the situation progresses,” said Liz Coleman, the Deputy Head of Forecasting with Met Éireann.
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