Transport stopped, schools closed and more than 800,000 homes without electricity: storm Eowyn sweeps across Ireland on Friday morning with record winds and Scotland is preparing for its passage.
The entire island of Ireland is on red alert for strong winds. The Irish meteorological agency Met Eireann warned that the storm would have “hurricane force” in certain regions of the west of the country. “It’s a historic storm,” said Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who came to power on Thursday, on X.
Éowyn is already breaking records: gusts were measured at 183 km/h near Galway, on the west coast, beyond the previous record of 1945. In the same area, the average wind speed reached 135 km/h , an unprecedented power, according to Met Eireann.
These winds and the rains that accompany them cause significant disruptions, particularly in transport, and more than 715,000 homes, shops and businesses are without electricity.
“Electricity infrastructure has suffered widespread and significant damage, without precedent,” said the public electricity operator ESB in a statement, which has already warned that their restoration would take time.
“I call on everyone to stay safe,” said Micheal Martin, announcing an immediate crisis meeting with the emergency services, the army and water and electricity operators.
At Cork, Shannon and Dublin airports, many flights have been canceled. Dublin Airport announced on X the cancellation of around 230 flights on Friday morning.
The storm also affects the British province of Northern Ireland, where 93,000 homes are without electricity, according to operator NIE Networks. The red alert for strong winds has been in effect since 07:00 GMT (08:00 in Switzerland). This is the first time that such an alert has been issued in the province since this system was put in place in 2011.
-“Eye of the Storm”
Northern Ireland Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill has warned that the province is currently “in the eye of the storm”. “We appeal to the public to stay safe, be very careful and take all precautions to ensure that you do not make unnecessary trips. Please just stay at home if you can,” a- she declared on BBC Ulster radio.
Schools will not welcome students on Friday, trains and buses will not run.
Storm Éowyn is then expected to move towards Scotland, where a red alert is in force in some areas and authorities are preparing. Prime Minister John Swinney chaired a crisis meeting on Thursday afternoon. Parliament will not be in session and schools are closed in most regions.
The railway operator ScotRail has canceled all its trains and air traffic is also disrupted at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.
The rest of the United Kingdom is also placed on alert. The Environment Agency has warned of a risk of flooding in the south of England and the Midlands (central) in the coming days due to the expected bad weather.
The storm also has an impact in Switzerland. Several flights to and from Geneva, Zurich and Basel airports have been canceled.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
Related News :