Waterford has experienced unprecedented levels of damage across the county today as a result of Storm Ophelia. Tragically one person lost her life as a result of a road traffic incident earlier today and our thoughts are with family and relatives.
Waterford City and County Council has deployed all operational teams since 7am this morning and are dealing with almost 200 fallen trees throughout the day. The teams will be working into the late evening to clear roads of fallen trees and priority will be given to the clearing of national primary routes and regional roads, many of which are closed or partially closed. We are working to ensure access to emergency services across the county. Waterford Council is aiming to have all roads cleared of fallen trees and safe from debris by tomorrow evening. In the meantime we continue to warn the public of the dangers associated with journeys this evening and tonight.
We are aware of properties in a number of areas in Portlaw where damage has happened and Waterford City and County Council is engaging with the homeowners involved.
The Crisis Management Team at Waterford City and County Council has concluded their regular meetings and are now in the process of working with the staff and outdoor crews to deal with the damage caused by Storm Ophelia.
The Crisis Management Team was convened in preparation for the extreme weather event and the members met regularly over the course of Sunday 15th October and into the late evening of Monday 16th October to agree priorities, key messages for communication to the public, liaison with state and emergency services and plan for the recovery phase.
The Outdoor crews were on site from 7am on Monday morning and were stood down for period from 12pm to 4pm to ensure safety due to the strength of the winds during that period. Priority is being given in the recovery phase to dealing with fallen trees on national primary routes and ensuring access to emergency services across the county.
The cost of damage will be assessed over the coming days and Waterford City and County Council staff will be taking stock of all damage and will endeavour to repair and reinstate as priorities necessitate.
