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Police are continuing to urge the public to take care as Storm Amy moves into its yellow warning phase after causing widespread damage today 3 October with many trees felled and power outages in the Newry and surrounding areas.
Multiple agencies have been meeting this evening to coordinate the response to Storm Amy, which has already left around 50,000 customers without power according to NIE Networks. The storm has brought down hundreds of trees across the country, causing major disruption to travel with the rail network suspended due to multiple tree falls. Significant work is now underway to restore power and clear affected roads, with the recovery operation expected to continue into tomorrow.
The amber weather warning ended at 8pm this evening, but authorities are reminding people that although winds will begin to ease slightly, a yellow warning remains in place for strong winds across all of Northern Ireland until 23:59 on Saturday 4 October. A yellow warning for rain is also in place until 12:00 on Saturday, which could cause further disruption and complicate recovery efforts.
Road users are being urged to exercise extra care and attention when driving as surface water, debris or temporary restrictions are a possibility. Many roads are currently impassable due to fallen trees. The advice is to avoid unnecessary travel, but if you must travel take extra care and reduce your speed.
NIE Networks has again urged the public to stay well clear of any power lines or damaged electricity equipment they may come across, and report any such incidents immediately on 03457 643 643. Anyone experiencing flooding should contact the Flooding Incident Line on 0300 2000 100, which will ensure the appropriate agency responds. This service isn't for emergencies - if you're in danger, contact the emergency services by telephoning 999. Up to date traffic information can be found at TrafficWatchNI, whilst advice and information on the current weather warnings is available from the Met Office.
