Storm Brian is due to arrive this weekend..
So as if Storm Ophelia didn’t give Ireland a battering enough, with country wide destruction and power/water outages, Storm Brian is due to arrive this weekend although it is expected not to be as severe.
Currently Met Eireann has issued a status orange wind warning for the Southwestern counties with Mayo, Galway, Cork, Clare, Kerry, Waterford and Wexford due to experience the worst of the wind gusts. It is expected that Storm Brian may hit Ireland with wind gusts up to 130 km/h from midnight Friday as reported by the Irish Mirror and the Independent. A yellow wind warning is currently in place for the rest of the country.
The Irish Mirror also reported that up to 50mm of rain could fall in the counties Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Clare, Limerick, Waterford and Kerry.
With these weather warnings in place it is so important that you take extra safety precautions this weekend both on the road and to prepare your house for Storm Brian.
Prepare your home
- Do a visual inspection of your home and garden to detect any potential hazards that may have occurred during Ophelia (e.g. Tree limbs, loose/broken fences, roof tiles etc.). Only secure them if it safe to do so.
- Put your car, any loose garden furniture and wheelie bins in the garage. Make sure that trampolines and greenhouses are securely tied to the ground.
- Have the likes of candles, batteries, torches, spare water, portable chargers/lights and a generator (if you own one) on standby just in case we experience another power outage.
Driving
- Beware of potential falling trees and tree limbs and of objects being blown onto the road.
- Leave extra space between you and the car in front (apply at least the 4 second rule) as there is an increased risk that the car in front may need to brake suddenly.
- Watch out for surface water and fallen debris on the road.
- Do not drive through floods as they may be deeper than you first anticipated.
- Be extra careful of cyclists and motorcyclists if they are traveling on the road during strong wind gusts.
- During the peak of Storm Brian try not to make any unnecessary journeys.
Be safe and share this information with family and friends!
Video sourced from youtube.com and image from tv3.ie