Army drafted in to clear snow and ice in north Cork and Limerick
Cork County Council crews were working alongside the Defence Forces and external contractors, with a focus on areas worst affected by compacted snow and ice in North and North West Cork.
The army has been drafted in to clear snow and ice from roads in the worst affected areas of north Cork and Limerick as the authorities pledged on Thursday night to continue working to provide access to isolated rural areas.
But with another low-temperature warning in effect in 13 counties overnight, forecasters warned that the full effect of the thaw may not be felt in some areas until the weekend.
Indications are that temperatures will slowly start to increase from Friday, with temperatures of 8C to 11C forecasted by Sunday.
As more people begin to venture out, the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team has warned of avalanche risk in Ireland’s highest mountain range, with mountain guides advising inexperienced hillwalkers against climbing in the McGillycuddy Reeks this weekend.
Vast areas of countryside in north Cork, Tipperary, Limerick and parts of Kerry are still blanketed in deep snow, with many communities still cut off and schools still closed.
Over 390 Defence Forces personnel and 165 military assets have been deployed in response to requests for assistance from local authorities.
Defence Forces trucks were deployed along with external contractors in North and North West Cork on Thursday with a focus on clearing areas worst affected by compacted snow and ice.
“We will continue to respond over the coming days to provide access to isolated communities and households,” a spokesman for Cork County Council said.
The First Southern Brigade was also supporting the HSE South West and HSE Mid West with 251 soldiers conducting 72 separate missions in recent days, including bringing patients to hospitals, ferrying essential medical staff to work, and collecting critical prescriptions.
Gardaí with the support of the civil defence units are also delivering prescriptions and essential food and heating supplies.
ESB Networks, which had arranged power hub facilities at four hotels in Cork, Tipperary, and Limerick, has restored power to the last few hundred customers, with more than 175 people using the Charleville Park Hotel hub to refresh, recharge their phones, and enjoy a hot meal in the space of just 24 hours.
Uisce Éireann said its crews are still working in freezing conditions to restore water supply to the remaining 1,000 or so customers, down from a high of 18,000 on Monday.
Most of those affected are in Tipperary, where about 1,000 customers are without water or with intermittent supply on the Ardfinann Regional Scheme, Commons, and in some parts of Killenaule on the Fethard Regional Scheme.
It has arranged alternative water supplies in Brosna, Knocknagoshel and Castleisland in Kerry as repairs continue but it has warned of potential further weather-related bursts on the water network over the coming days as a result of continuing sub-zero temperatures.
Meanwhile, the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team has been drafted in to transport health workers to work, and to deliver essentials to vulnerable people living in isolated areas.
It has warned of significant accumulations of snow on all slopes in the McGillycuddy Reeks and warned of avalanche hazards in certain areas.
Experienced mountain guide Nathan Kingerlee, who runs the training, adventure and bushcraft company Outdoors Ireland, climbed Carrauntoohill on Tuesday and said he hasn’t seen such Alpine conditions in the Reeks in almost a decade.
He climbed wearing fully rigid mountain boots, crampons, and a helmet and used a walking axe, but said the approach tracks were difficult, and he almost wandered off some routes in near white-out conditions.
“It was more like Alpine conditions, or full-on Scottish mountain conditions, with two-thirds of the climb wading or almost swimming through deep powder snow until halfway up, which then stiffened higher up,” he said.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.
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