A ‘Status Red’ wind warning has been issued for counties bordering on Co. Tipperary, as Met Éireann warn of expected extremely gusty winds tonight; courtesy of Storm Debi, and posing a potential danger to life.
According to Met Éireann, when a Status Red warning is issued; which is rare, action should be taken to protect both yourself and your property. So it might be a good idea to check your garden at this time,for items of furniture, children’s play houses, Trampolines, plastic slides etc, all easily moved by high wind gusts.
From midnight on tonight, the whole of Ireland will be placed under a ‘Status Yellow’ wind and rain warning; same remaining in place until 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon, with motorists warned of poor visibility and potentially dangerous travelling conditions. From 2:00am tomorrow morning, a ‘Status Orange’ wind warning will come into effect for counties Tipperary, and neighbouring counties Kilkenny, Limerick, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, Clare, together with counties Carlow, Dublin, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath, Wicklow, Kerry and Galway. This evening’s warnings come in the wake of the devastation caused by preceding storms, e.g.Babet and Ciaran.
The first ‘Status Red’ wind warning will come into place at approximately 3:00am tomorrow morning, Monday, and will impact, in particular, counties Clare, Galway, and south Roscommon, remaining in place until 5:00am, before impacting counties Offaly and Westmeath.
Met Éireann warn that ‘Storm Debi’ could potentially cause damage to exposed and vulnerable structures, while causing disruption to services and transport, with significant power outages, including localised flooding, hail, hazardous travelling conditions, and fallen trees and branches.
From midnight tonight, the whole of Ireland will be placed under a ‘Status Yellow’ wind and rain warning remaining in place until 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon, with motorists warned of poor visibility and potentially dangerous travelling conditions.
Note according to RTE: All schools and pre-schools in 19 counties affected by Status Red and Status Orange warnings are being asked to remain closed until 10:00am tomorrow morning. [Advice from Keith Leonard, National Director of Fire and Emergency Management.]
Thurles.Info published, on October 12th last, details of how Lidl, the German International discount retail chain, intended to introduce reverse vending machines into their Thurles, Co. Tipperary retail outlet. We are now happy to announce that the announcement has become a reality.
Two reverse vending machines currently being installed in Lidl, situated on Slievenamon Road, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
We can now confirm that two reverse vending machines have been installed and are expected to be up and running shortly.
Customers will soon be able to deposit their empty plastic bottles and drink cans and in return receive voucher credits to spend in-store, with each bottle or can deposited, earning its owner, between 10 and 15 cent per item deposited.
Great to see that the wheel has once again, comes full circle, with the situation returning to what it was in the 1960s; which saw empties returned for cash deposits, helping to keep tidy our town and country roadside landscapes.
Pictures hereunder currently show the present state of just a two meter (6.56ft) stretch of roadscape in Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
State of roadscape currently on Friar Street in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, latter a town with two Dail Éireann politicians both currently in residence, who have their constituency offices less than 500 meters from the above. Pic: G. Willoughby.
The craters have developed over a period of 12 weeks, on Friar Street in the town, and can be easily located just east of Supervalu.
Cyclists in particular are warned to take great care to avoid these craters positioned close to the footpath. These craters measuring up to 15cm (6ins) deep are a particular hazard after dark, and presently force cyclists to quickly move out into often fast moving traffic, in an effort to avoid the cratered surface.
The current state of this particular streetscape, together with other areas of the town [e.g. Barry’s bridge, Kickham Street etc, etc], demonstrate a total lack of proper administration by Thurles Municipal District Council officials.
Kickham Street, Thurles, pictured after a light rain shower. Pic: G. Willoughby.
Perhaps, this would be an opportune time for Mr Jackie Cahill TD and Mr Michael Lowry TD to invite Minister for Transport, Mr Eamon Ryan TD to visit a now forgotten Thurles. Emphasize and ensure that he brings his bicycle and pedals around the town. Other benefits would be that the latter TD’s could have their pictures taken, together with local Town Councillors.
Sufferers of respiratory diseases and asthma please note.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched a national air quality forecast available on airquality.ie.
The forecast will provide maps showing the predicted daily air quality for up to three days -“Today”, “Tomorrow” and the “Day after Tomorrow”.
The air quality forecast is an important resource for everyone, but especially people who may be sensitive to poor air quality (e.g. those with asthma and heart conditions).
The air quality forecast will help people plan their activities to follow public health advice, such as reducing physical activity when air pollution levels could affect their health.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched a national air quality forecast to provide greater information to the public regarding expected air quality in Ireland for up to three days – “Today”, “Tomorrow” and the “Day after Tomorrow”.
Forecasts include daily Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH), Particulate Matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). PM, NO2 and O3 are the three main air pollutants impacting human health in Ireland. All pollutants mapped are presented on the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) scale (1 – 10).
Marking the launch of the forecast, Dr Micheál Lehane, Director of the EPA’s Office of Radiation Protection & Environmental Monitoring, said: “Air pollution can seriously impact people’s health; the air quality forecast will provide an important health and air quality resource for everyone, and will be even more impactful for those of us who are particularly affected by poor air quality, including those suffering from respiratory disease and asthma. The forecast will also serve policy makers as a valuable tool for analysing air quality in Ireland.’’
There are concerning localised air quality issues in Ireland. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) from burning solid fuel and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from vehicle emissions are the main pollutants impacting on people’s health. This forecast will help people plan their activities in line with the Air Quality Index for Health (AQIH) recommendations, such as reducing physical activity when air pollution levels are predicted to increase. The forecast maps will be uploaded twice daily, once in the morning and once in the evening.
The CEO of the Asthma Society of Ireland, MsEilís Ní Chathnia, welcomed the forecast launch: “The air quality forecast will be an important resource for our members and everyone with respiratory conditions. Ireland has the highest incidence rate of asthma in Europe with one in ten children and one in thirteen adults developing the condition – with 890,000 people likely to develop asthma in their lifetimes. The Asthma Society welcomes the opportunity to be associated with the launch of the forecast.’’
The forecast and further information on air quality and the Air Quality Index for Health are available on HERE.
The air quality forecast maps are produced by computer models which have been developed under the EU LIFE Emerald project. The models use Irish and European data such as air quality measurements, forecast weather and land cover data. The EPA has partnered on this with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), the Health Service Executive (HSE), VITO, a Belgian research institute, University College Cork (UCC) and the Asthma Society of Ireland.
From today the EPA’s new LEAP Online portal enables easy access to environmental enforcement information providing full public access to our enforcement activities.
Through LEAP Online the public will be able to see information on site inspections, monitoring, incidents, non-compliances, complaint summaries and also compliance investigations into issues detected at EPA licensed sites.
LEAP Online will allow the public to learn about nearby licensed operations and how they are performing in their obligations to protect their local environment.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today launched the second phase of a major new Online service, the Licensing and Enforcement Access Portal or LEAP Online, following on from the release of Phase 1 in May of this year. Phase 1 provided access to Site Visit Reports, monitoring reports and responses by licensees to those reports, as well as monitoring returns, requests for information and approval. Today’s release delivers the further enforcement information, including details of incidents, non-compliances, complaint summaries and also compliance investigations into issues detected at licensed sites.
The LEAP Online portal is now complete and provides access to the full set of enforcement information describing the enforcement activities, actions and communications between the EPA and holders of EPA licences and permits. The information can be viewed on desktop, tablet and mobile phone.
Commenting on the launch of LEAP Online, Mr Darragh Page, EPA Programme Manager said: “The EPA want the public to have full access to environmental enforcement activities. The detailed compliance and enforcement information we make available through the LEAP Online portal allows the public to learn about nearby licensed operations and how they are performing in their obligations to protect their local environment. It also enables operators themselves to communicate directly with their neighbours about their environmental performance as they conduct their business, including how they address compliance issues when they occur “.
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