Message Remains ‘Be at home and Stay at Home’

The busy scene at Garvey's SuperValu in Castleisland around noon today as people stock up for what we've been warned about. ©Photograph: John Reidy — The busy scene at Garvey’s SuperValu in Castleisland around noon today as people stock up for what we’ve been warned about. ©Photograph: John Reidy

A Status Red weather warning for Kerry is now effective for the period until 3pm on Friday.

The Kerry Local Coordination Group met at County Buildings again this Thursday morning to review preparations for the severe weather forecast for Kerry.

The group includes Kerry County Council, Kerry Fire Services, Kerry Civil Defence, the HSE and An Garda Síochána as well as University Hospital Kerry and Irish Water.

The Group will continue to meet through today and tomorrow, and all agencies will maintain contact overnight tonight on a regular basis, including conference calls every four hours.

Panic or precaution ? Empty shelves at Garvey's SuperValu tell their own story as the promised / threatened Red Alert weather situation approached. ©Photograph: John Reidy — Panic or precaution ? Empty shelves at Garvey’s SuperValu tell their own story as the promised / threatened Red Alert weather situation approached. ©Photograph: John Reidy

The Group reiterates the key message ‘Be home and stay at home’ during the weather alert from 4pm today.

The Group reiterated the following notifications and advice:

Travel and Roads

Members of the public should be at home by 4pm this evening and remain at home for the duration of the weather alert
All road travel should be avoided from approximately 4pm this evening for the duration of the alert and possibly thereafter depending on the weather conditions as they evolve. Further updates will be provided in this regard

A marked increase in the volume of traffic at the Market Cross today as the Red Alert approaches. ©Photograph: John Reidy

Emergency Contact

The offices of Kerry County Council will be closed to the public from 1pm today. An emergency contact number has been set up to deal with emergencies and can be contacted at all times on 066 718 3588. Water related emergencies should be reported to Irish Water on 1850 278 278.

Office Closures

All Kerry County Council offices, facilities, and amenities will be closed to the public from 1pm on today, 1st March and on Friday, 2nd March but the emergency contact phone number will be manned at all times on a 24-hour basis.

Updates and Social Media

The Local Coordination Group and Kerry County Council will issue updates through:

All local media
Social media channels: @countkerry on Twitter and on the Council’s Facebook page
A dedicated Alerts site is accessible through the Council’s website homepage.
See http://alerts.kerrycoco.ie/wordpress

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