Debi Does Damage
Clean up continues after county hit by Storm Debi
Almost four thousand homes in the Dundalk district were without power on Monday after Storm Debi passed through the county in the early hours of Monday morning. Louth was under a Status Red Wind Warning up to 9am which caused all schools to remain closed until at least 10am. The majority of secondary schools closed for the day with students asked to work from home.
In Dundalk and North Louth there were fourteen trees reported to have fallen including one close to the hospital in Dundalk on the Dublin Road. According to Louth County Council they also received reports of flooding just a week after the devastating floods that caused havoc to many homes and businesses across the County. A large tree also fell at the junction of the Ardee/Knockbridge Road out of Dundalk which made the road impassable for a period.
“Louth County Council have mobilised significant resources today (Monday 13th) November), in response to the impact of Storm Debi.
“Throughout Sunday (12th) the local authority monitored what was a rapidly evolving situation, with a complex storm system set to make landfall across the country in the early hours of this morning.
“Met Éireann’s initial yellow weather warnings were upgraded to a status orange then RED for wind in Louth, with the final warning this morning extending the RED timeframe to between the hours of 5a.m and 9a.m.
“Louth County Council put in place contingency arrangements for this period, but with the safety of all staff, including outdoors crews, paramount during severe weather events, the local authority workforce were not mobilized until a reduced status ‘Orange’ weather warning came into effect after 9a.m. All public counters within Louth County Council buildings opened at 11am.
“The full impact of Storm Debi is currently being assessed, with approximately 40 trees reported down in a range of locations across Louth. The number of incidents being reported continues to rise.
“Louth County Fire and Rescue Service and crews of outdoor staff have been working, in extremely difficult conditions, to respond to reports of fallen trees as quickly and as safely as possible.
“So far, there have been 25 reports of downed trees across South Louth and Mid Louth. These include Drogheda town (5), Drogheda rural (11), and 7 fallen trees in the Ardee area. One of these incidents, at Mansfieldtown led to a temporary road closure after the falling tree collided with nearby ESB lines.
“Louth County Council have utilised the resources of a specialist tree services company to assist in the removal of fallen trees and large branches, and are also using a JCB to remove debris from roads to ensure they are safe for all road users.
“There have been two reports of flooding, along the R170 at Dromin, and at Sliabh Breagh, Ardee, which Louth County Council are currently responding to.
“In Dundalk and north Louth there have been a further 14 incidents of fallen trees, including one close to the entrance of Louth County Hospital. Flooding was also reported on the Omeath to Newry Road,” concluded the statement from the local authority.
