A taxi driver in Waterford city was taken to hospital last night after his car was hit by a tree during high winds.

A Status Orange warning was in place in five counties in the south of the country last night as Storm Gerrit brought high winds and rain.

People were urged to remain indoors during the warning with dangerous gusts and a threat of flooding in some areas.

Taxi

At around 11pm, a Waterford taxi driver was lucky to escape without serious injury after a tree fell on his car in the Newton area of the City.

He was taken to University Hospital Waterford where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Storm Gerrit caused significant flooding on several roads in the south and southeast, while hundreds of homes and businesses are still without power.

Storm Gerrit pushes huge waves over the Tragumna Sea Wall in West Cork, 27-12-2023. Image: aphperspective/Alamy

Cork County Council Director of Roads, Niall Healy says the public can report storm damage.

“In relation to road damage arising from the storm we would encourage people to report any major potholes or any major damage to our emergency callout number which is 021 4800048,” he said.

“We respond to those requests on a prioritised basis based on traffic volumes and the risk attaching to each particular location.”

Storm damage

Meanwhile, a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning remains in place for Munster, Connacht and Donegal.

Met Éireann said there will be scattered thunderstorms with lightning activity and possible hail.

The forecaster said the storms could see power outages, hazardous travelling conditions and localised flooding.