Hurricane Ophelia bears down on Ireland and the UK, bringing down trees, power lines
About 120,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, 130 flights were cancelled, schools, hospitals and public transport services were closed
Tropical Storm Ophelia made landfall on Ireland’s southern coast on Monday, knocking down trees and power lines and whipping up 10-metre waves, as the government warned the country’s worst storm in half a century could cause fatalities.
A woman died in the southeast Irish county of Waterford when a tree fell on her car as a result of the storm, national broadcaster RTE said, quoting the local council office.
RTE said the woman was the sole occupant of the car and was pronounced dead at the scene as the storm began to batter Ireland’s southern coast.
About 120,000 homes and businesses were without electricity with more outages expected and 130 flights were cancelled from Dublin Airport. Schools, hospitals and public transport services were closed and the armed forces were dispatched to bolster flood defences.
The storm, downgraded from a hurricane overnight, made landfall after 9.40am, the Irish National Meteorological Service said, with winds as strong as 176km/h hitting the most southerly tip of the country and flooding likely.
“These gusts are life threatening. Do not be out there,” the chairman of Ireland’s National Emergency Coordination Group Sean Hogan said on RTE.