Coastal householders in Mayo are battening down the hatches ahead of a major storm which looks set to hit this weekend.
According to meteorologists at Met Eireann the storm impact could be considerable because of the damage to defences caused by Storm Christine in early January.
“It’s a very serious situation,” said meteorologist Joanna Donnelly. “Because of the storm earlier in January we lost a lot of coastal defences along the western coast. This means those areas are much more vulnerable.
“We have a forecast for a significant storm coupled with very high tides and very high swells. We could have a serious impact along western coastal defences.”
County secretary John Condon said Mayo County Council received the weather alert from Met Éireann and is prepared.
“Bear in mind we’re still only talking about a forecast, which may or may not materialise, but if it does, we’re ready it,” he said.
Sandbags have been issued to vulnerable areas and he is advising property holders who experienced flooding in Storm Christine to take precautions.
“Don’t park your car in an area that is likely to flood and if your property flooded before, take precautions to secure it,” he said.
He said staff are on standby and will be called out in the event of an emergency over the weekend if needs be.
Ms Donnelly urged people to stay away from the coast during the storm tonight and throughout Saturday.
“Certainly no spectators should be trying to take photographs along the coast,” she said.
