Severe Weather Hotline to open in Laois

A Severe Weather Hotline will open in Laois, as the county braces itself for dangerous winds during the Storm Éowyn Red weather warning.

Laois County Council will operate the dedicated Severe Weather Hotline, which will be operational from 5.30am on Friday 24 January.

The Hotline Number is 1800 832 010. Emergency calls should be directed to 999 or 112, in the normal way.

In an update at 4pm today, after a meeting of the county’s Local Co-Ordination Group, the county council said: ‘County Laois is subject to a Status Red Wind Warning from 6am on Friday until 11am on Friday. 

‘Principal response authorities, making up the Local Co-Ordination Group, met today. Arising from the meeting, the key message to citizens in County Laois is that Storm Éowyn will be a dangerous, damaging and destructive storm event.

'Severe winds will give rise to rare and very dangerous conditions across County Laois, late Thursday night until late Friday afternoon.

'Following severe wind gusts, significant damage to property, disruption to key public services and very dangerous conditions across the road network are highly likely.

'Stay at home and exercise extreme caution for this storm event and in the aftermath.

'Across County Laois, significant dangers will persist for some time after the weather warnings have lapsed.

'Community centres/activity area committees should be advised to close/cease services for the day, given the aftermath conditions that may have occurred as a result of this major storm event.'

All county council offices and the landfill site at Kyletelesha will remain closed on Friday.