Updated 11am
The entire country is now under a Status Yellow wind and rain warning as Storm Debi recedes.
The storm caused widespread disruption to travel and public transport this morning, with Status Red wind warnings in place in eight counties until 9am.
They were followed by Orange warnings in many areas,
In the capital, Dublin Bus and the Luas are beginning phased operations; however, there is no Luas service between Stephen's Green and Ballally.
Bus Éireann services are also resuming.
Meanwhile, Met Éireann is now warning of fallen trees and branches, localised flooding and dangerous travelling conditions.
Around 80,000 homes, farms and businesses are still without power this morning.
Power
The ESB has said Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Meath, Cavan and Louth are among the worst-affected counties, adding that the number of power outages is expected to rise as the storm tracks eastwards.
ESB Network’s Regional Manager Brian Tapley told Newstalk that network crews will respond to outages as soon as it is safe to do so.
“It is hard to say for definite at this stage because the full extent of the storm impact isn’t fully known,” he said.
“I would say that we will be working throughout today and probably late in the evening to get as many customers back as possible – but we won’t know the full extent until later in the day.”
⚠️UPDATE #StormDebi
⚠️Status Red - Wind warning for east Galway, Roscommon extended until 07:00am
⚠️Status Red - Wind warning for Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath, Wicklow, Offaly, Westmeath extended until 09:00am
📡Keep safe, informed & updated ⬇️ https://t.co/APKV3yYcZq pic.twitter.com/RT9KkdYE7k
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) November 13, 2023
Schools and preschools in 19 counties were last night asked to remain closed until at least 10am this morning – with the final decision on opening times left up to individual school management teams.
People have also been asked to work from home where possible in affected counties.
Universities in Dublin and Limerick were expected to open as normal this morning once status red warnings expire.
Meanwhile, the Technological University of the Shannon, as well as Maynooth University cancelled any teaching until 10am.
Third-level institutions are urging students and staff to follow the advice of Met Éireann and local authorities.
Roads
Meanwhile, road users are being warned they'll encounter dangerous driving conditions throughout the day.
National Director of Fire and Emergency Management, Keith Leonard told Newstalk that fallen trees could cause issues throughout the day.
“There is going to be a substantial number of trees down and debris across the road network tomorrow which is going to make travelling conditions very difficult,” he said.
“So again, we are asking motorists to slow down and take care; be aware of vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists and pedestrians, and for drivers of high-sided vehicles to take account of local conditions on their journey.”
Drivers are also being urged to check local traffic and weather reports before setting out on a journey even after the warnings have been lifted.
Airport
Dublin Airport has said eight incoming and outgoing flights have been cancelled this morning; however, the airport remains open and operational.
Passengers are being advised to contact their airline for updates on specific flights and to take extra care travelling to and from the airport this morning.
Meanwhile, all flights are running as scheduled at Shannon Airport, with no flight cancellations reported as yet.
Parks and libraries
Meanwhile, Dublin City Council said all parks and libraries were due to remain closed until at least 10am this morning because of the red weather warning.
The closure also impacted all City sports and recreation facilities, while all non-essential council staff have been asked to work from home.
The council had crews on standby overnight and its crisis management team was due to reconvene again this morning.
