Latest news with #KacperDudek
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm Éowyn brought record breaking winds to Ireland
Storm Éowyn brought record breaking wind speeds at several weather stations in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish meteorological service Met Éireann has revealed. Two stations, in Ceann Mhása (Mace Head), County Galway and Malin Head, County Donegal, recorded average wind speeds that reached hurricane force 12 on the Beaufort scale. Met Éireann said the highest gust was 114mph (184km/h) in County Galway and County Donegal, with sustained 10 minute average speeds maxing out at 88mph (142km/h). The storm resulted in red weather warnings being issued for much of the UK and Ireland, with high winds causing damage to the power grid leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity in Northern Ireland. Met Éireann said Storm Éowyn "went through explosive cyclogenesis as it approached Ireland from the southwest". The service said that on Thursday 23 January the storm "reached peak intensity as it brushed the northwest coast of Ireland". Storm Éowyn resulted in the Met Office issuing its first ever red weather warning for Northern Ireland and Scotland, warning that conditions may cause a "danger to life". A number of businesses remained closed on Friday 24 January until the red weather warning was lifted, including supermarkets Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury's. Schools were also advised to close for the day. In total 285,000 households and businesses lost power during the storm. At the peak of the disruption, more than 200,000 customers were affected by power cuts. Northern Ireland's public transport service provider Translink cancelled all bus and train services during the red alert. Translink's Director of Service Operations, Ian Campbell, said at the time: "We have already identified there are several railway lines blocked with fallen trees and debris that will need removed." One person was killed after a tree fell on his car in Co Donegal. Kacper Dudek was travelling on the N14, near Ballinalecky Cross when the incident happened. Some customers are still waiting to have internet and phone connectivity restored. BBC News NI has seen a message from broadband provider Fibrus telling a customer that service in their area will be restored by 17 February. As of Monday this week Fibrus had about 6,000 customers out of service due to confirmed fibre faults. It said assessing timelines was challenging "given the dependencies on other providers" but all remaining customers were being given a timeframe. DUP assembly member Deborah Erskine said five telecoms masts had been destroyed during last month's storm. Storm Éowyn to bring NI's 'strongest winds since 1998' Hurricane-force winds leave 214,000 without power in NI
BBC News
06-02-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Storm Éowyn: Record breaking winds in the Republic of Ireland
Storm Éowyn brought record breaking wind speeds at several weather stations in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish meteorological service Met Éireann has revealed. Two stations, in Ceann Mhása (Mace Head), County Galway and Malin Head, County Donegal, recorded average wind speeds that reached hurricane force 12 on the Beaufort Éireann said the highest gust was 114mph (184km/h) in County Galway and County Donegal, with sustained 10 minute average speeds maxing out at 88mph (142km/h). The storm resulted in red weather warnings being issued for much of the UK and Ireland, with high winds causing damage to the power grid leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity in Northern Ireland. Met Éireann said Storm Éowyn "went through explosive cyclogenesis as it approached Ireland from the southwest".The service said that on Thursday 23 January the storm "reached peak intensity as it brushed the northwest coast of Ireland". Disruption and danger to life Storm Éowyn resulted in the Met Office issuing its first ever red weather warning for Northern Ireland and Scotland, warning that conditions may cause a "danger to life". A number of businesses remained closed on Friday 24 January until the red weather warning was lifted, including supermarkets Lidl, Tesco and Sainsbury' were also advised to close for the day. In total 285,000 households and businesses lost power during the the peak of the disruption, more than 200,000 customers were affected by power Ireland's public transport service provider Translink cancelled all bus and train services during the red Director of Service Operations, Ian Campbell, said at the time: "We have already identified there are several railway lines blocked with fallen trees and debris that will need removed."One person was killed after a tree fell on his car in Co Donegal. Kacper Dudek was travelling on the N14, near Ballinalecky Cross when the incident happened. Some customers still without internet Some customers are still waiting to have internet and phone connectivity restored. BBC News NI has seen a message from broadband provider Fibrus telling a customer that service in their area will be restored by 17 February. As of Monday this week Fibrus had about 6,000 customers out of service due to confirmed fibre said assessing timelines was challenging "given the dependencies on other providers" but all remaining customers were being given a assembly member Deborah Erskine said five telecoms masts had been destroyed during last month's storm.
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Man died when medical equipment cut out after Storm Eowyn, Dail told
A man died after medical technology including sleep apnoea equipment stopped working as a result of Storm Eowyn, the Irish parliament has been told. Sinn Fein TD for Mayo Rose Conway-Walsh said she was informed of the death by a constituent. In a separate incident, Kacper Dudek, 20, was killed when a tree fell on his car in Co Donegal during the morning of the storm. Ms Conway-Walsh told the Dail on Wednesday: 'I was on Midwest Radio this morning and I said I have been frightened all week that something was going to happen, that somebody was going to die as a result of this in Mayo. 'I do want to extend my condolences to the man's family in Donegal that lost his life, but very shortly after (the radio appearance), somebody from our own constituency rang me to describe to me how the equipment that his father was using couldn't be used – the mattress, the sleep apnoea, the several other pieces of equipment – they couldn't be (used). 'When he went then to take his father to the doctor, he died in front of him. 'And that is the tragedy of it, and that is how urgent this is.' The impact of the storm was one of the major focuses on the Dail's first meeting since nominating a Taoiseach. Several members of the opposition had said not enough time had been set aside during Wednesday's order of business to discuss the impact of Eowyn, adding that the Dail should not have been in recess the week after the storm. Labour leader Ivana Bacik told the Dail that she had heard families had been forced to hold the traditional wake for dead relatives 'by candlelight', and parents had been unable to cook a hot meal for their 'bored and cold young children'. She said older people were 'left terrified and isolated by power outages and fallen trees' and that people with chronic health conditions had appointments cancelled or could not access them. Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the Irish Government was 'missing in action' during the clean-up after the unprecedented weather event which prompted a nationwide red-level warning. She said the Government can no longer 'wash its hands' of its response, adding that the Dail should have sat last week to discuss the thousands of people left without power, water and broadband. On Tuesday, 25,000 people remained without power and fewer than 300 were without water after Storm Eowyn damaged homes and infrastructure. Ms Whitmore said: 'We should have been sitting last week, the Dail should have been sitting last week, the country was in crisis. The fact that the Government was missing in action was completely unacceptable and I think the Government really needs to answer questions about that.' Earlier this week, Electricity Supply Board chief executive estimated that the cost of repairs from the storm would be tens of millions of euro. Asked on RTE radio if prices would go up after the storm, Paddy Hayes said the cost was likely to be 'ultimately borne across the electricity network as a whole'. Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said 'people already pay too much' and there must be Government intervention, given that the ESB was 'enormously profitable' and received 'funding from the taxpayer by way of the public service obligation levy'. Earlier, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said that Ireland needs 'a fundamental rethink in terms of storm resilience'. He said: 'What the evidence is showing is that storms are far more severe, and they're becoming more severe, and also the frequency of such severe storms is now without question, and therefore we have to do a fundamental re-evaluation of the grid, for example, in terms of its resilience; also in terms of back-up for the water system, in terms of at a minimum, back-up generators; also then investing in local networks.' Tanaiste Simon Harris said there needs to be a 'bigger, deeper dive' into how Ireland responded. He said 'an awful lot more' needs to be done to prepare for severe weather events in Ireland, and mentioned generator supplies in particular. During Dail time dedicated to the storm, Claire Kerrane, Sinn Fein TD for Roscommon-Galway, said the ministers were '12 days too late' to discuss the storm, adding: 'Shame on this Government.' She said: 'I heard very much the Taoiseach's response. It was to come down to Co Roscommon to get his photograph taken and then to tell us on this side of the house that we were playing politics.' Sinn Fein TD for Sligo-Leitrim Martin Kenny said his power is not due to be returned until Sunday, adding that he has borrowed a generator from someone else. 'Before we got the generator, it was hot water bottles and the Superser (gas heater) – the novelty wears off very quickly.' Housing and Local Government Minister James Browne acknowledged the 'extreme hardship' faced by those without power, adding that the ESB is 'working tirelessly' to restore electricity. Minister for Climate and Energy Darragh O'Brien said an enhanced Winter 2025 resilience plan is to be developed within a month, to be implemented by the ESB between March and October. The minister said a review will see if any investment projects can be accelerated. Social Protection and Rural Minister Dara Calleary said Storm Eowyn is 'now the precedent', adding that there is a need to prepare accordingly. Enterprise Minister Peter Burke said an 'extreme weather assistance scheme' is being progressed as 'a matter of urgency'.
Gulf Today
27-01-2025
- Climate
- Gulf Today
Over 1 million still without power after Storm Eowyn in Ireland, Scotland
Ireland called in help from England and France as repair crews worked to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people after the most disruptive storm for years. Even as the cleanup continued, more wet and windy weather hit the UK, Ireland and France on Sunday. More than 1 million people in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland were left without electricity after Storm Eowyn (pronounced AY-oh-win) roared through on Friday. In Ireland, which suffered the heaviest damage, the wind snapped telephone poles, ripped apart a Dublin ice rink and even toppled a giant wind turbine. A wind gust of 114 mph (183 kph) was recorded on the west coast, breaking a record set in 1945. The state electricity company, ESB Networks, said that more than 300,000 properties in Ireland still had no power on Sunday, down from 768,000 on Friday. The Irish military was also helping out, but the company said that it could be two more weeks before electricity is restored to everyone. Irish Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said authorities were "throwing everything at it.' "We're bringing additional people from England today and we're looking for people from France, additional technicians,' he told broadcaster RTE. "What we're focused on is getting our infrastructure back up, getting our power back up, getting our water and connectivity back up as soon as is possible.' Another 75,000 people were still without power on Sunday in Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom and neighbors the Republic of Ireland. At least two people died during the storm. Kacper Dudek, 20, was killed when a tree fell on his car in County Donegal in northwest Ireland, local police said. Police in Scotland said that a 19-year-old man, who hasn't been named, died in a hospital on Saturday after a tree fell on his car in the southwestern town of Mauchline on Friday. More rainy and windy weather battered the UK and Ireland on Sunday, with a gust of 82 mph (132 kph) recorded at Predannack in southwest England. It was part of a new system named Storm Herminia by weather authorities in Spain, which was bracing for severe impact. France's weather service issued warnings for several regions, notably in Normandy and Brittany in the northwest. Canals and rivers broke their banks, roads were closed and evacuations were ordered in some areas. The mayor of the Brittany city of Rennes said that it was experiencing its worst flooding in four decades. Local television showed families emptying out ground-floor rooms flooded by water a meter (three feet) high. A 73-year-old British sailor was reported missing off the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux, France, according to the regional maritime authority. It said that he went boating alone Saturday despite storm warnings. His badly damaged boat was later found empty.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
London weather latest: Wind alerts for capital as Storm Herminia brings 83mph gusts to UK
London is bracing itself for more stormy weather on Monday, as Storm Herminia hits the UK bringing winds of up to 80mph. Yellow weather warnings for wind and rain are in place covering large swathes of southern England, while the capital could see gusts of up to 45mph at the start of the week. The Met Office has warned the damage could be more widespread due to the impact of Storm Eowyn last week, causing 'injuries and danger to life'. Follow the latest on Storm Herminia on the Standard's live coverage Localised flooding and delays to road and rail travel, as well as possible power cuts are expected, the Met Office has warned. More than 40 flood alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency, covering the south coast, as forecasters have warned of up to 80mm of rain in some areas. Severe disruption has been caused to the railways, as National Rail has reported issues between Guildford and Ash, East Croydon and Uckfield, Reading and Taunton and Hastings. Passengers have been advised to check their route before they travel. It comes after Storm Eowyn battered the country last week, particularly areas of Northern Ireland and Scotland, where record-breaking wind speeds of up to 100mph were reported. Strong winds were linked to two deaths throughout the UK in recent days, the first occurring when a falling tree hit a 19-year-old's blue Ford Focus in Mauchline, East Ayrshire, at about 6.45am on Friday. In the second, Kacper Dudek, 20, died after a tree fell on his car at Feddyglass, Raphoe in County Donegal, Northern Ireland, early on Friday. A warning for periods of heavy rain that could cause some flooding of roads and properties are in place for the West Midlands and most of Wales until 11.59pm today, with the Met Office predicting 20mm to 40mm to fall quite widely and 50mm to 70mm on higher ground. Okehampton in Devon had 35.8mm of rain on Sunday, while an 83mph gust was recorded in Berry Head, south Devon, and 81mph in Capelcurig, North Wales. A yellow wind warning was in place until 7am on Monday for large parts of southern England, the North West, the West Midlands and saw stretches of the A36 and A303 closed in Devon and Wiltshire overnight, while National Rail said services were running normally between Taunton and Castle Cary after flooding. Scotland is still recovering from the effects of Storm Eowyn. ScotRail said engineers had made "great progress" in removing debris and repairing damage, but several lines were unlikely to reopen for the start of services on Monday. The Largs to Adrossan line will not reopen on Monday after an overhead gantry was brough down by a falling tree. Avanti West Coast said services to and from Glasgow and Edinburgh had resumed, but warned of late starts and possible delays on Scottish routes. Northern Ireland Electricity Networks said around 74,000 customers remained without power at the end of Sunday following Storm Eowyn, while the Northern Powergrid said teams were working to reconnect more than 150 customers overnight. ⚠️ NEW: #Uckfield - Disruption between East Croydon and Uckfield expected until 08:00https:// — National Rail (@nationalrailenq) January 27, 2025 Ben Lukey, a flood duty manager at the Environment Agency, said: "Although not expected, impacts could include localised flooding from watercourses, drains, channels and flooding from overland flow. A wet and windy spell arrived in the South West on Sunday morning and was moving across the north of the UK overnight.' Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said: "Things are going to stay unsettled in the next few days. We're getting successive spells of wet and windy weather, which is obviously adding to impactsWhile not as powerful as Storm Eowyn, a low-pressure system was named Storm Herminia by meteorologists in Spain which was expected to feel the strongest winds.' The Met Office said Monday is expected to see showers, turning heavy in the south alongside strong, gale-force winds, with snow on the hills in the north. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned Londoners on Sunday to take care during the unsettled weather, writing online: 'Today there is a yellow warning for rain in London. 'Please take extra care and be aware of any standing water from rain overnight.' Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "It's also going to be wet and windy over the next few days in southern parts of the UK in particular. "In most parts of the UK we're going to have some very wet and at times also very windy weather over today and Monday. "But from Tuesday onwards, I'm expecting it generally to stay fairly changeable, but some showers at times and quite windy, but not as disruptive as it has been - I think overall, probably warnings are less likely from Tuesday onwards. "Certainly tonight in the south east of the UK, we could see some briefly very strong winds, and we could also see some very strong winds across Cornwall and Devon tomorrow in particular". Coastal parts of those areas will "very likely" see 60mph to 70mph gusts. Tuesday is forecast to see further heavy showers in the south with a risk of thunder. Longer spells of rain in the North West as expected to ease wet and windy weather will remain in the south on Wednesday more settled conditions will be present later in the week.
