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Hurricane Ophelia has badly hurt Ireland, knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of residents. A total of three people have died in separate incidents, as Ophelia battered the Celtic nation.
Michael Pyke, 31, died during a chainsaw accident, as he attempted to remove a tree that had fallen down because of the storm. Clare O’Neill, a woman in her mid 50s, died after a branch came flying through her windshield. While, a third victim died at around 2:45 P.M. (local time) in Ravensdale, Dundalk, Ireland, on Monday after a tree struck a car he was sitting in.
At Ophelia’s height, she was a Category 3 hurricane. She weakened down to a storm, before rising back up to Category 1 status Monday evening, with winds as high as 85 mph.
By Monday night, roughly 330,000 homes in Ireland were without power because of the storm. At least 360,000 electricity customers no longer have the power they paid for. The network operator reported that most of the people affected by the power outages would be without electricity for the night, while 5 to 10 percent of those affected will most likely not have any electricity for up to 10 days. In Northern Island, 18,000 customers lost electricity, including the Stormont parliament. The United Kingdom has pledged to help this Celtic nation restore power for many of its residents.
As authorities deal with Ophelia, all schools across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will be closed on Tuesday. The decision was reportedly made to “avoid any potential risk to life for children and staff,” as the storm has uprooted trees, causing structural damage, as well as widespread damage to the electricity network.
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Hurricane Ophelia 2017: Forecast, Map, Path & Live Updates
NOAA
Ophelia is on her way to the UK, and will likely arrive on Tuesday. Flood warnings are in effect in the southwest coast of Scotland. Strong winds are expected by Tuesday morning.
Northern Ireland, southern and central Scotland, as well as northern England and northwest Wales have all received a yellow weather warning until Tuesday afternoon.
Forecaster Steven Keates expects “very gusty conditions” for commuters. He also said, “There’s still a risk of gales and it’s still strong enough to cause disruption, but a little bit down on what we have seen.”
