The weather warning for Carlow and Kilkenny’s been upgraded to a Status Orange.
Storm Agnes has landed bringing with her wind and rain which is set to sweep across the area for a time today – and it’s worse than had been expected.
Met Eireann is warning of flooding, fallen trees and difficult travelling conditions throughout the day while gardaí and local fire personnel are advising against unnecessary travel. (See local roads details here).
CLOSURES
In Kilkenny
- An Post, High Street, Kilkenny closed for rest of Wednesday due to safety concerns regarding the impact of wind on upstairs windows. Due to reopen Thursday as normal.
- Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal centre is now closed, due to reopen 8am Thursday.
- Woodstock Gardens, Inistioge closed Wednesday
- Kilkenny Castle Park is closed until further notice, the castle itself remains open.
In Carlow
- Kernanstown Recycling Centre has closed for the rest of the day (Wed).
- Powerstown Civic Amenity site was open earlier but has closed for the rest of today (Wed).
- Oak Park forest park in Carlow town is closed
- Tullow Town Park and the Thomas Traynor Memorial Park will remain closed today, while flood barriers have also been fitted as a precaution at specific points along the River Slaney in Tullow, meaning that pedestrian access for the river-side pathway is also restricted.
COUNTY COUNCIL SUPPORTS
Both county councils have crews on standby to help those impacted by today’s weather.
OTHER
- Keep up to date on local ESB outages here
- Gas Networks Ireland has issued the following;
“As the operator of Ireland’s gas network, Gas Networks Ireland would like to reassure its 720,000 customers that it does not anticipate any disruption to gas supplies during Storm Agnes.
Ireland’s gas network is one of the safest and most modern gas networks in the world and with the added security of its 14,664km of pipeline being underground it is unlikely to be impacted by adverse weather conditions.
All works are currently scheduled to take place as normal, however as the safety of our staff, customers and the public is paramount, our teams will assess conditions locally and may defer some work if required for safety reasons.
Irrespective of what alert is in place, Gas Networks Ireland emergency services continue to operate as normal. If you smell gas at home or on the street, please call 1800 20 50 50 immediately.
In the event of a power cut as a result of the storms, Gas Networks Ireland is providing the following safety advice:
1. Gas appliances may be affected during a power cut
During a power cut, gas supplies and your gas meter should continue to operate as normal. Gas appliances, however, may be affected.
Although they operate by burning gas, most gas appliances rely on mains electricity for items such as pumps, fans, electronic controls and so on, so in the event of a power outage they may not operate until the power is restored.
When the power is restored, gas appliances should operate as normal, but some boilers may need to be reset. This is normally something that can be done by the customer themselves at the boiler control panel and some boilers have the resetting instructions visible on the boiler.
If the boiler or other appliances are not working after power has been restored and cannot be reset, please contact a Registered Gas Installer – you’ll find one on https://rgi.ie/.
2. Avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
Never run generators or other petrol or diesel equipment indoors, under cover or close to access points in the property such as doors, windows or ventilation points.
Never use barbeques, patio heaters or other outdoor fuel burning equipment indoors or under cover. If your power is off, it might be tempting to find alternative means of cooking and heating, but these appliances can produce large amounts of carbon monoxide and should only ever be used outdoors in a well-ventilated area.
Never use an indoor cooking appliance to try and heat a room.
If you’re lighting a fire in the grate, make sure your chimney has been swept and isn’t blocked and ensure the room is properly ventilated.
If you have questions, please visit www.gasnetworks.ie or contact us by email at [email protected] or call 1800 464 464 Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8.00pm or Saturday from 9.00am to 5.30pm.
