The region's county councils and emergency management teams have met today to co-ordinate plans as Ireland faces its coldest week in many years.
A Status Orange Alert is in place for snow and ice in Carlow and six other eastern counties from 3pm tomorrow, while a Status Yellow Alert is in place for Wexford, Waterford, Kilkenny and Tipperary.
Carlow County Council has preparations in place as per its 2017-2018 Winter Services Plan. The Council's Severe Weather Co-Ordination Group has met today and will continue to meet during the week to monitor the evolving situation and to co-ordinate the response to the weather event.
Council personnel are on alert and ready to respond accordingly. The public are asked to make a special effort to keep in contact with their neighbours and relatives, particularly those living alone.
This afternoon, Wexford County Council’s Emergency Management Team, consisting of senior staff from across a range of Council services, met with representatives of An Garda Siochána to oversee and finalise preparations.
Large stocks of salt and grit have been put in place at the Council’s central operational depots in Wexford and Enniscorthy for deployment across the counties road network, with priority to be given to the county’s national and regional routes. Arrangements are also in hand to supply stocks of salt in the main urban areas to deal with possible snow and ice difficulties in these areas.
The Council has at its disposal a range of specialist vehicles and equipment to deal with such weather events, including salting equipment, snowploughs, four-wheel drive vehicles etc. and will augment this as necessary through use of private contractors.
Arrangements have also been put in place to ensure those persons known to be homeless or “sleeping rough” across County Wexford have access to food supplies and shelter, with additional spaces made available in homeless shelters and B&B accommodation. The Council will continue to monitor this situation on a daily basis throughout the severe weather period.
Wexford County Council strongly advises the public to heed Met Eireann’s weather warnings throughout the week, and to take the necessary action to ensure their safety and comfort. Where possible, people are asked to ensure elderly or vulnerable neighbours have adequate food supplies and sources of heating in place as the period of severe weather approaches. Further advice on preparing for and dealing with extremely cold conditions and snow is available at www.winterready.ie
