Thousands still without power after Storm Atiyah

Roads are blocked and hundreds of homes across Cork and Kerry are without power this morning in the wake of Storm Atiyah, although there are no reports of any major safety incidents.

Met Éireann issued a status orange weather alert in nine counties including Cork yesterday which was lifted at 6am this morning as winds died down.

Cork City Fire Brigade reported that crews responded to multiple calls yesterday and last night including trees down and dangerous building reports. However, no injuries were reported at any incident.

Power outages were reported in a number of areas including Blarney, Tower, Mallow and Cobh, with ESB crews still working to restore services.

It is understood that there are currently 7,000 customers still without power around the country, with counties Cork and Kerry some of the worst affected.

Cork Safety Alerts, a website which provides updates on traffic, travel and general safety, had a busy night, with updates continuing into this morning of fallen trees in Cobh, Midleton, Innishannon, Ballyvolane, Lisgoold, Tower, and more, as well as an airborne trampoline which was blown onto the main road in Turner’s Cross.

There were also reports of a roof which was blown off a shed in White Cross, with Cork Safety Alerts advising extreme care be taken by those in the area.

During the storm, a number of flights were either cancelled or diverted from Shannon and Cork Airports as the weather alert was upgraded to a status red in Kerry.

Motorists are currently being advised to take extra caution while driving, particularly on secondary roads.

One motorist in Cork had a lucky escape when a tree fell on their vehicle, with emergency crews responding to numerous callouts around the county and city throughout the night. The driver was miraculously uninjured by the large tree which caused extensive damage to the vehicle.

According to a Tweet by Carlow Weather, there is potential for further weather warnings and strong winds for tomorrow.