Crews from local authorities and public utilities across the southeast have been working to clear roads and make their areas safer following the destruction caused by Storm Ophelia on Monday.
In Wexford the county council estimated that more than 600 trees were blown down, and 140 staff have been working on the clean-up operation since the storm abated.
A total of 135 calls were logged to the council’s emergency contact centre between 1pm and 6.30pm on Monday, with another 30 by 9am on Tuesday.
The council’s response crews made all national roads through Co Wexford passable by midnight on Monday night/Tuesday morning, with all regional roads clear by 9am on Tuesday. Local roads in the Wexford town and Gorey were expected to be passable by 6pm on Tuesday evening, and throughout the Enniscorthy and New Ross districts some time on Wednesday.
“It will take to the end of this week for all minor debris to be cleared from the roads,” the council said. There was a “high number of electricity outages” across the county, with water supply affected in a number of areas and the public asked to conserve water where supplies were still running.
Carlow County Council has also asked householders and businesses to conserve water where possible, while tankered supplies have been provided in areas where the water has been cut.
Team stood down
Tipperary County Council stood down its crisis management team and interagency co-ordination team following meetings on Tuesday morning, as the red alert passed.
All national roads were clear in Tipperary by midday on Tuesday, apart from the N74 from Golden to Cashel, the Mill Road in Thurles and the Rock Road in Ballycahill.
Work continues on clearing minor roads, with “a lot of debris” lying about and motorists being urged to travel with caution.
Electricity supplies, which were hit in many parts of the county, have largely been restored, although water services have been affected in several areas. The Galtee water supply scheme in the west of the county was cut but was expected to be restored by Tuesday evening. The council is continuing to post updates to its website and social media channels.
In Kilkenny, members of the Defence Forces based at Stephens Barracks in the city have been helping county council outdoor staff to clear roads and remove debris to make local routes safer.
More than 55 roads were blocked on Monday, and 30 of them were cleared by lunchtime on Tuesday.
Waterford city and county councils reported trees down in a number of locations, including Kilmeaden, Ballyduff, Bunmahon, Kilclooney and Tooraneena.
More than 4,000 homes and businesses were without power on Tuesday morning, with ESB crews working to restore services as quickly as possible, while water services were also hit in several areas including Lismore, Aglish, Inchinleamy, Camphire, Strancally, Ballysaggart, Dunhill and Modeligo.