Beware phone and “phishing” scams

Posted on 24 April, 2018 by

New Ross County Councillor Oisín O’Connell is calling on all County Wexford residents to be wary of phone calls from scammers pretending to be from their bank or financial institution.

“‘Phishing’ is a type of scam – sometimes by phone – whereby someone will contact you, and fish for information by pretending to be from a bank, telecom or other institution. They will try to fake you out, and use your sense of trust to give them valuable information they wouldn’t otherwise have. This is then used by them to make purchases or money transfers online or electronically in your name – to steal from you.”

“In a particularly insidious twist they may even pretend they are from something like the fraud detection department of an institution – and threaten to cancel your cards if you don’t comply. That recently happened to one of my own parents, who ended the call and contacted the local bank.”

“It’s important to know, that while financial institutions and such, may ask you for information to confirm your identity when you call them; they will not call you up to ask you for your name, phone, address, and card numbers and so on.”

“The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) have a website where people can learn more at: https://www.ccpc.ie/consumers/money/scams/phishing/

They have the following helplines:

Helpline Lo-call: 1890 432 432

Helpline National: 01 402 5555”

“The CCPC specifically advise that If you receive a call from anyone requesting any personal or financial information, you should end the call and report to a Garda station or call the confidential line on 1800-666-111“

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Final #TerraNostra (“our Earth”) exhibition talk @wexfordcoco 6pm 26/April – Prof Declan Long

Posted on 20 April, 2018 by

The final of our series of talks in conjunction with the Terra Nostra Exhibition takes place as follows:

Date: Thursday, 26th April

Time: 6.00pm

Venue: Wexford County Council Offices, Carricklawn, Wexford

Guest Speaker: Professor Declan Long

You are Neither Here Nor There: Art and Twenty-first Century Irish Landscapes.

In this talk Declan Long will discuss a range of ways in which contemporary Irish artists are exploring transformations in the Irish landscape. Over the last two decades artists from the North of Ireland have often responded to the shifting experience and appearance of physical landscapes in the aftermath of the Troubles; in the Republic, artists have diversely addressed how Irish landscapes, of various kinds, have altered during dramatic periods of boom and bust. In the background to these developments, North and South, are the effects of wider global changes in how we experience space and time — and this talk will attempt to consider some ways that Irish artists’ relationship with location has been subject to such influences.

Dr Declan Long is Programme Director of the MA Art in the Contemporary World at the National College of Art & Design, Dublin. He is a regular contributor to Frieze magazine, Artforum International and RTE’s Arena programme. He has recently published the book Ghost-Haunted Land: Contemporary Art & Post-Troubles Northern Ireland (Manchester University Press, 2017) and in 2013 was a member of the judging panel for the Turner Prize.

There will also be a tour of the exhibition at 4.00pm on Thursday 26th April. To book a place on this tour, facilitated by David Begley, please let me know by email.

Kind Regards,

Lisa.Fortune@wexfordcoco.ie

Lisa Fortune,

Assistant Staff Officer,

Arts Department,

Wexford County Council,

Carricklawn,

Wexford

053 9196369

www.wexfordcoco.ie

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#TerraNostra Exhibition talk 3 @WexLibraries Wexford Town today 7pm – Tom Mooney, poets & landscape

Posted on 5 April, 2018 by

Date: Thursday April 5th, 2018.

Time: 19:00

Venue: Wexford Town Library

Guest Speaker: Tom Mooney

The relationship between Irish writers, specifically poets, and the landscape, has been the source of a pervasive tradition, where mystery, belonging and alienation are omnipresent. As part of the ongoing Terra Nostra exhibition and series of lectures, writer and book reviewer for The Sunday Times, Tom Mooney, will examine the work of contemporary Irish poets to explore the layers of story and meaning, and show how the landscape is freshly minted by their verse.

Advance booking not necessary. All are welcome to attend.

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Winter is coming… plan for a harsh one in 2018/19

Posted on 20 March, 2018 by

So. That was something. Don’t remember two big snows in succession like that before – in Ireland anyway. Nor snow at St. Patrick’s Day parade – outside of New York.

Did notice (since I am an Astronomy geek – not a meteorological expert, note) that those two Artic Winters we had in 2010 and 2011, closely followed a sunspot minimum.

And that after a period of several years with no sunspot-free days, last year it was 28% with 104 days sunspot free. And we are batting for 54% free days (42) in 2018 so far:

[Sun-]Spotless Days

http://spaceweather.com/

2018 total: 42 days (54%)
2017 total: 104 days (28%)
2016 total: 32 days (9%)
2015 total: 0 days (0%)
2014 total: 1 day (<1%)
2013 total: 0 days (0%)
2012 total: 0 days (0%)
2011 total: 2 days (<1%)
2010 total: 51 days (14%)
2009 total: 260 days (71%)

Sunspots are like a sign of agitation in the sun. Roughly speaking: the more agitation (the more sunspots and less sunspot-free days), on the sun, the greater radiance of energy. Usually small percentages – but perhaps enough to affect some of Earth’s climate or weather systems – in ocean and atmosphere mechanisms. There are several theories as to how this might happen, and certainly none are

conclusive yet.

However: below are some science extracts, that may indicate we are headed for another – perhaps harsher – winter at the end of this year or beginning of 2019. Perhaps increasingly so, over the next couple of decades.

Are you winterready.ie ?

Clear link between solar activity and winter weather revealed

October 10, 2011
by Tamera Jones, PlanetEarth Online

https://phys.org/news/2011-10-link-solar-winter-weather-revealed.amp

Scientists have demonstrated a clear link between the 11-year sun cycle and winter weather over the northern hemisphere for the first time.

They found that low solar activity can contribute to cold winters in the UK, northern Europe and parts of America. But high activity from the sun has the opposite effect.

The study helps explain why the UK has been gripped by such cold winters over the last few years: the sun is just emerging from a so-called solar minimum, when solar activity is at its lowest.

The long sunspot cycle 23 predicts a significant temperature decrease in cycle 24

Jan-Erik Solheim a,n, Kjell Stordahl b, Ole Humlum c,d

Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics

https://ac.els-cdn.com/S1364682612000417/1-s2.0-S1364682612000417-main.pdf?_tid=f215af0d-4dd9-43d8-8248-052eeaad4b75&acdnat=1521542555_2462ede04fe5343b9153ab812bc54a1e

This analysis shows significant dependency between the pre- vious sunspot cycle length and the temperature…

 short cycles like the one that ended in 1996, have only been observed three times in 300 years. After the shortest cycles, sudden changes too much longer cycles have always taken place, and thereafter there is a slow shortening of the next cycles, which take many cycles to reach a new minimum. This recurrent pattern tells us that we can expect several long cycles in the next decades…

 de Jager and Duhau (2011) concludes that the solar activity is presently going through a brief transition period (2000–2014), which will be followed by a Grand Minimum of the Maunder type, most probably starting in the twenties of the present century. Another prediction, based on reduced solar irradiance due to reduced solar radius, is a series of lower solar activity cycles leading to a Maunder like minimum starting around 2040 (Abdussamatov, 2007)…L

Our forecast indicates an annual average temperature drop of 0.9 1C in the Northern Hemisphere during solar cycle 24. For the measuring stations south of 75N, the temperature decline is of the order 1.0–1.81C and may already have already started. For Svalbard a temperature decline of 3.5 1C is forecasted in solar cycle 24 for the yearly average temperature. An even higher temperature drop is forecasted in the winter months (Solheim et al., 2011).

For some balance, this study finds a weaker correlation – as I understand it, between Solar Cycle and weather system direction, rather than temperature as such:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4785965/#!po=61.3208

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Dare to be Wild @WexfordCoCo #TerraNostra talk w/Mary Reynolds, Jim Hurley 5:30pm today

Posted on 15 March, 2018 by

Date: Thursday, March 15th

Time: 5:30pm

Speakers:  Nature Expert Jim Hurley & Reformed Gardener and Nature Activist Mary Reynolds

Venue: Wexford County Council Offices, Carricklawn, Wexford

Booking not necessary, all are welcome to attend.

For more information on the exhibition & other talks please see:

https://www.wexfordcoco.ie/terra-nostra-exhibition

•  “Stepping back into our roles as guardians of the earth‘. Mary Reynolds will explore the  deep connection we have broken with the earth which has left  us lost, spaced out and aimless. She explains easy ways to restore the connection and heal the hole in our hearts that  we tore when we forgot who we are in the circle of life on  the earth.”

Mary grew up on a small mixed farm in Wexford, in the south of  Ireland. 20 years ago she set up her own company designing  gardens in Dublin. A few years later, having lost the will  to live from constantly creating modern gardens, she  realised that she could no longer continue shaping land in  the same way and re-imagined her work to become nature  rather than human centred.

Mary brought her new, still relatively unformed ideas to be showcased at the  Chelsea flower show in London where she achieved a gold  medal, unusual at the time for a first-time effort. Since  that time, she has built up quite a cult following in the  world of garden design and is considered unique in her  field.

Another U-turn came a few years ago when Mary realised we had to rethink the whole  relationship we had with the land and re-examine what it  means to truly design in harmony with nature. Those latest revelations lead to ‘The Garden Awakening – Designs to  Nurture Our Land and Ourselves’ being born.

This book was written at night, over four  years, when her two young kids were asleep… and Mary was  almost awake. It was published in 2016.

Mary has been known to present telly programmes about garden  design and do the odd garden makeover on the box. She also  gives talks and workshops about her work and beliefs. The  Irish writer and director Vivienne De Courcy made a movie  about a journey in Mary’s life when she made a wild garden  at England’s R.H.S Chelsea flower show while  simultaneously chasing a very handsome man to Ethiopia and  back. She’s trained as a Reiki master, is not a bad cook  (to her mother’s eternal surprise) and she likes to  campaign against evil multinational efforts to cull us all  off with pesticides, herbicides and GMO’s. She spends a  lot of time growing and guiding her own land into a place  where people can come and stay and learn, but most of her  time is spent being a harassed single mum, trying to grow  two cheeky but wonderful boy and girl monsters and a crazy  golden-doodle with as much grace and love as  possible.

• Jim Hurley will be talking us on a virtual  walk of one of the most interesting areas of South East  Wexford, departing from Kilmore Quay.

Jim Hurley is south Wexford’s keenest promoter of its wonderful natural heritage. The retired  Biology teacher has lived here for more than 50 years. He  has come to appreciate the flora and fauna of a region which  boasts no less than 14 officially designated sites of  significant scientific importance.

There is scarcely a bird or a flower to be found between Rosslare and  Templetown that he has not rejoiced in and written about.

His love affair with Kilmore began by chance  back in 1965, when as a recent graduate in science from UCD,  he was recruited by County Wexford VEC to set up the  laboratory in the new Bridgetown School.

His knowledge of the sea breezy environment has been shared with  readers of this newspaper since 1981. His column run without  break for over 33 years. His success is also attributed to  the excellence of his own teaching at Bridgetown, his  involvement with the Irish Wildbird Conservancy, work on the  preparation of Ferrycarrig Heritage Park, and his  willingness at all times to give talks or lectures on any  matter connected with nature.

For Jim Hurley, nature is for everyone and should be celebrated by as many as possible.

‘There is room for more people to enjoy the  south Wexford coast,’ he says simply. ‘Some have a  technical or scientific interest but for ordinary people too  it is a wonderful amenity. People should be encouraged to  enjoy it.’

See also:

http://marymary.ie

https://www.wexfordpeople.ie/out-about/talking-about-art-and-landscape-36673032.html

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Excited about @thelodgersmovie in @StMichaelsTheat – thanks! Big win for http://wexfordfilmlocations.ie/ & @wexfordcoco too

Posted on 13 March, 2018 by

https://www.avclub.com/home-is-where-the-ghosts-are-in-the-moldy-gothic-horror-1823208696

Home is where the ghosts are in the moldy Gothic horror of The Lodgers

If you’ve got at your disposal a location as perfect as Loftus Hall—the 14th century manor home and self-proclaimed “most haunted house in Ireland”—it’d be a sin not to make a horror movie there. The ready availability of weathered old buildings and misty forests in rural Ireland is certainly an asset for The Lodgers, the second feature from Brian O’Malley (Let Us Prey).

The Lodgers’ Eugene Simon believes in psychic phenomena, but draws the line at ghosts

Game Of Thrones star Eugene Simon’s new project, The Lodgers, has the characteristics of an old-fashioned, supernatural horror film: a period setting, a crumbling family estate, a set of mysterious twins, and, of course, ghosts.

https://www.avclub.com/the-lodgers-eugene-simon-believes-in-psychic-phenomena-1823311732

RogerEbert.com

Irish gothic chiller “The Lodgers” made me wish we lived in a world where this type of film wasn’t so rare that its very existence wasn’t a source of novelty… one thing that the makers of “The Lodgers” do deliver is a unique setting.

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-lodgers-2018

LATimes.com

An oppressively heavy gothic atmosphere squeezes most of the shocks out of the Irish ghost story “The Lodgers.”

… for viewers who take it more as a moody, metaphorical historical drama than as an out-and-out horror film, there’s a lot in this lush-looking, sensitively acted picture to recommend.

…”The Lodgers” is set on an imposing estate, “played” on film by a 700-year-old mansion.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-the-lodgers-review-20180222-story.html

SeattleTimes.com

If you, like me, are a sucker for a) crumbling Gothic mansions where things go bump in the night, b) period costumes involving “French Lieutenant’s Woman”-esque hooded cloaks, out of which one may gaze pensively sideways, c) mysterious secrets concealed in attractive lockets, d) excellent linen bedding and lace curtains, and e) dramatic things happening on and around grand staircases, allow me to recommend the Irish thriller “The Lodgers…”

… because it offers the beautifully-shot pleasures of a) through e)… Filmed at the breathtaking Loftus Hall, a real-life haunted mansion in County Wexford, Ireland…

https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/the-lodgers-gothic-horror-film-is-never-really-scary-but-gorgeous-to-look-at

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#TerraNostra – 1st in Series of talks – this evening at 5.30pm, Carricklawn HQ Block A

Posted on 8 March, 2018 by

The first of a series of talks to be held in conjunction with the Terra Nostra Exhibition takes place this evening at 5.30pm in the downstairs meeting room of Block A.

Our guest speakers this evening are Pádraic Fogarty, Ecologist & Campaign Officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust & Brendan McGrath, Landscape Architect & Author

All are welcome to attend.

Pádraic Fogarty, Ecologist & Campaign Officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust

Pádraic Fogarty is an ecologist and environmental scientist. He has served as chairman of the Irish Wildlife Trust, an environmental charity, and is currently their campaign officer and (until recently) editor of ‘Irish Wildlife’ magazine. He is author of ‘Whittled Away – Ireland’s Vanishing Nature’, which was published in 2017 by Collins Press.

Presentation:  ‘What you see is not what you get ‘Ecological collapse in a beautiful country’ – how our perceptions do not reflect reality

Brendan McGrath, Landscape Architect & Author

Brendan lives in the Burren, County Clare and is a town planner by profession. He has spent most of his professional life in Ireland but has also worked in Papua New Guinea and in a number of African countries. Over the past year he has been preparing a management plan for the Burren National Park. Brendan is very interested in landscape; how we affect it and it affects us. He is the author of Landscape and Society in Contemporary Ireland, published by Cork University Press in 2013.

Presentation: Our affinity with landscape: an evolutionary perspective

Until fairly recently our affinity with landscape was understood in aesthetic, spiritual and philosophical terms. However, in recent decades there is increasing recognition of how important landscape is for our wellbeing and the extent to which we have an innate affinity for certain types of landscape.

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Extreme weather info county & municipal services updates: Tue 6/Mar

Posted on 6 March, 2018 by

Water Supply Update – Tuesday 5 March 4pm

Enniscorthy Town
A Boil Water Notice remains in place in respect of the Enniscorthy Town public water supply until further notice.

Gorey Town

Reservoir levels have replenished overnight at Creagh Water Treatment Plant. Water should be gradually coming back with pressure building in the affected areas of Gorey (Ballytegan, Eire Street, Ramsfort Park, Creagh, Hollyfort Road, Gorey Hill, Carnew Road).
There is a burst in the Sean Lios and Ard Lios area which is currently causing disruption to supply. Supply is expected to return by 21:00 this evening

Wexford Town

Repairs complete at Edenvale following uprooting of pipes by fallen trees.  Supply returned to most areas of Wexford Town with levels in the reservoirs building.  Some areas may experience low pressures.
A burst in Newlands estate caused disruption to supply in the town today but has now been repaired.
Supply in the Mulgannon area is currently affected but is hoped to be restored by 7pm.

Barntown Taghmon

Supply in the Barntown and Taghmon areas is still disrupted but will be returning over night with all service expected to return to normal by tomorrow.
Tanker is in situ at Taghmon Village.  IBCs are located at Mother Hubbards.  Consumers are advised that tanker and IBC water must be boiled prior to use.

South Regional Water Supply

Supply interruptions continue across the South Regional Supply with outages continuing in some areas.  As reservoir levels build, supply will return throughout the region.  Tankers are in situ at Ramsgrange, Duncannon and Clongeen. Consumers are advised that tanker water must be boiled prior to use.

The public are asked to conserve water as supply returns and check vacant and holiday homes and mobile homes for leaks to assist with recovery of supply.

Air locks, pressure fluctuations and/or discolouration of water may be experienced when supply is restored.

Statement from National Emergency Co-ordination Group

Tuesday 6 March

 

[…]The situation across the country continues to improve with a gradual thaw well advanced in most areas.  However, issues persist in many areas principally Wexford, West Wicklow, North Kildare, upland areas in South Dublin and Waterford and across the country, through Tipperary and into South and East Galway.Work by the local authorities and their contractors continue to provide access to those who have been isolated by huge drifts blocking access. Communities are clearing roads themselves, matching the work of the local authorities in many cases.

 

Countrywide, the impact on water supply remains one of the big issues to be managed in the days and weeks ahead.

As is now established practice after such severe weather events, the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has signalled the Government’s intention to fund local authorities for the exceptional and unbudgeted costs incurred in necessary immediate works associated with significant severe weather emergency events.

Each Department is being requested to quantify, in so far as this is possible at this stage, the estimates for loss and damage incurred within their sector.

Departments will liaise directly with the local authorities and other relevant agencies in relation to funding necessary repairs and restoration through current or capital allocations as appropriate.

In relation to damage to buildings and property which has been caused by the snow and wind, people should in the first instance get in touch with their insurance companies.

There are a number of existing emergency humanitarian support schemes that are operated by different Departments for sectors who may be impacted by flooding arising from severe weather. These include the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme operated by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, which is available to assist people whose homes are damaged by flooding and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair. The scheme is means tested and assistance is not provided for losses which are covered by insurance or for commercial and business losses.

The Irish Red Cross also operate Humanitarian Support Scheme for small businesses and community, voluntary and sporting bodies who are affected by flooding and who do not have insurance in place.The Department of Agriculture has been working constructively with industry and state services in the immediate aftermath of storm Emma to get the farming sector up and running and fully operational again as quickly as possible. In order to provide ongoing support to the sector the Department runs a number of investment schemes which are already in place.

The NECG will continue to meet and monitor the situation in the days ahead.

Wexford County Council – Storm Emma – Update Tuesday 6 March 3.00pm

Roads

Following days of continuous effort by the Council, and with tremendous assistance from all across the community, most roads in the county are now passable. We continue to advise road users to advise extreme care. A small number of minor roads in more inaccessible areas still require attention (less than 30 kms in total)  and our intention is to have all routes passable by close of business tomorrow.

With more frost forecast, local roads are likely to be in a very dangerous condition, so extreme caution is advised. There is continued risk of large amounts of snow, currently stacked on the roadside, falling back onto the road surface and creating a hazard.

We have placed a map on our website showing the locations of the small number of areas that remain impassable – this map will be reviewed continuously as further areas are cleared.

 

Our staff, assisted by almost ninety Defence Forces personnel are clearing footpaths in many of the towns. We are prioritising access to doctors surgeries, medical centres, chemists and also school locations, older persons estates etc. We thank the business community, private property owners and the wider community for their valued and continued assistance.

Water

With the assistance of Irish Water, we have made very significant progress in the past 24 hours in restoring water supply across the county. Water tankers continue to be deployed in a small number of locations while bottled water has been supplied to vulnerable customers. We will progress the return of supply to customers throughout the day. Customers are reminded to conserve supply and to check all vacant properties for leaks.

A Boil Water Notice remains in place in respect of the Enniscorthy Town public water supply until further notice

 

Other

All offices of Wexford County Council have returned to full operation. We can be contacted during business hours on 053 91 96000 or by email to postmaster@wexfordcoco.ie. Our Out-of-Hours Emergency Line 1890 666777 will be available as normal after 5pm to take emergency calls.

The Council’s Severe Weather Plan will remain in place for the next number of days as we continue to monitor weather reports and river levels.

The key messages are:

 

  • Exercise Extreme Care, especially when driving.
  • Beware also of possibility of snow and slates falling from roofs as the thaw continues.
  • Conserve water and check for leaks.
  • Continue to check on vulnerable neighbours
  • Contact Wexford County Council for any assistance that may be required.

 

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Extreme weather update: Co. Wexford & New Ross district, Mon 5/Mar

Posted on 5 March, 2018 by

New Ross municipal update 5:30pm

Higher temperatures today really helped with thaw but temperatures are expected to drop to freezing tonight.

The usual Primary and Regional Roads will be salted as per normal operations. Other Regional and all Local roads will not be salted and will be extremely hazardous. We will not be able to respond to calls for salting in any areas outside the normal salting routes.

Water Services are working hard to restore supply from Ballycullane. Tankers are placed in Ramsgrange and Duncannon but water must be boiled before consumption. All vulnerable customers are being attended to be Water Services separately.

Offices will be open as normal from 9am tomorrow.

Water Update 4pm:

Repairs have now been completed at Wexford Town (Edenvale), Gorey and Taylorstown and water will slowly return to these areas

As the supply returns, customers should continue to conserve water in the interests of speeding up the filling of the network and the provision of supply to the outer areas  of the network – it may take a number of hours for the entire network to refill and all customers to receive water

Water 2pm:

South Regional Water Supply

Widespread water outage affecting South Regional Water Supply following the effects of Storm Emma. Areas affected are Ballycullane, Duncannon, Ballyhack, Arthurstown, Fethard, Hook, Duncormick, Campile . It is hoped that water supply will have returned to most areas by tonight.  Water Tanker in place at Ramsgrange School and Duncannon Church.  The public are asked to conserve water as supply returns and check vacant properties and holiday homes for leaks to assist with recovery of supply across the region.

Wexford Town

Water disruption across Wexford town is continuing with supply out in Coolcots, Townparks, Whitemill, Whiterock lower, Bishopswater, Ard Carman, St Aidans.  Other areas of town may be experiencing low pressure.  Wexford County Council are working to restore supply and hope to have supply returned to some areas later today, we are monitoring levels and making all efforts to return water to the public.  Water tankers are in situ around the town at Clonard Church carpark, Clonard Village, Mount Prospect and IBCs are located at Cois Carraige, Coolcots Community Centre and Mother Hubbards.  The public are asked to conserve water as supply returns and check vacant properties and holiday homes for leaks to assist with recovery of supply.

Barntown/Taghmon

Water disruption across Barntown and Taghmon is continuing with supply out is in place today following the effects of Storm Emma. Wexford County Council are working to restore supply.  Water tankers are in situ around the town at Clonard Church carpark and Mother Hubbards.  The public are asked to conserve water as supply returns and check vacant properties and holiday homes for leaks to assist with recovery of supply.  Further updates to follow.

Gorey Town

Water disruption across Gorey town in the Gorey north and Irish Street areas today with supply out following the effects of Storm Emma. Wexford County Council are working to restore supply. IBCs will be provided at Ardmore, Kilnahule lane, The Lask, Gorey Hill, Westhill Park, Woodbury, Creagh woods, Hunters green, Creagh demense, Allenwood  dr, Ramsfort Avenue, Sean Doire, Baile Eoghain,Woodlawns manor, Willow park, Cois linne ,Eire st, Sean lios, Newborough. The public are asked to conserve water as supply returns and check vacant properties and holiday homes for leaks to assist with recovery of supply.  Further updates to follow.

New Ross Municipal District

Roads

Continuing progress is being made throughout the District.There is no area inaccessible in the District at this stage, thanks to the hard work of our operatives, local volunteer and community involvement.Most regional roads are passable with 2 way traffic cautiously. Work is now concentrated on local roads to provide 2 way access.All outdoor staff are out relieving melt water from roads to minimise flooding.New Ross town is clear, car parks available and clearance continuing in estates and approaching schools.

Schools

Until such time all public roads/estates are clear we will not be entering private property such as school grounds. It is  schools responsibility to clear its own premises, as the Good Counsel has done, to name but one school. It is the responsibility of each school to decide on reopening, in conjunction with their transport providers. The best indication we have is that schools aim to reopen tomorrow Tuesday. There may be some in rural areas that will not open until Wednesday.

Water

There is an ongoing interruption of water supply from Ballycullane affecting about 1,000 customers. We are delivering bottled water to vulnerable customers affected. There is a water tanker in Ramsgrange and will be in Duncannon today. Every effort is being made to restore this supply.

ESB

Power has been restored to all customers in the District.

County Council offices New Ross

The Tholsel and Library will open to the public tomorrow, Tues.There are staff at work in the Tholsel today assisting with emergency and water related calls.Co Hall will open to the public tomorrow Tues. The emergency call centre is live today in Co Hall at 053 91 96000.

Irish Water – Alternative water supplies in place in Wexford as work continues to restore normal supply to all customers

4th March 2018 Update – Irish Water is working with Wexford County Council to resolve outstanding water supply issues associated with the recent spell of extreme weather. Approximately 5,000 customers in Wexford town remain without water due to a burst watermain. Crews have been on site throughout the day and are working to repair the burst and restore water supply as quickly as possible In the meantime alternative water supplies will be available at the following locations:·         Cois Carrige Estate

·         Coolcotts Community Centre

·         Mother Hubbards Barntown

·         St. Josephs Community Centre

·         Mount Prospect Estate

·         Clonard Village Estate

·         Clonard Church Carpark

·         Ramsgrange Church

Irish Water makes every effort to ensure that the alternative drinking water supply provided, including the tanker/bowser, and dispensing tap, are adequately disinfected. However, as it is not practical to provide sterilised containers for the public to transport drinking water from the tanker to their homes, we cannot guarantee that any containers used by the public do not negatively impact or contaminate the drinking water. Therefore people are advised to boil this water before use.

In order to allow reservoirs to refill over the coming days, customers are urged to conserve water where possible by not running taps unnecessarily, taking showers instead of baths and checking for leaks in their properties. Irish Water is especially appealing to anyone with an outside tap to ensure that it is securely turned off. A constant flow from an external tap over 24 hours is the equivalent of the usage of 40 households in the same period.

Irish Water and Wexford County Council would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience this is causing and assures customers that repairs will be completed as soon as possible.

Updates will be posted to the supply and service section of Irish Water’s website at www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-and-service-update/ or via the 24/7 customer care line at 1850 278 278.

Ends

Thaw prompts flood concerns

Irish Water Safety has warned people to avoid lakes, streams and rivers as flooding is expected in the coming days once the recent snowfall begins to melt. The warning came as tidal flooding again hit Salthill, Clontarf, Sandycove and Dún Laoghaire in Dublin, while Cork city and county was on high alert for a sea surge from Storm Emma. Such is the height of the tides that warnings have also been issued for parts of Waterford, Dundalk, Wexford, Wicklow, parts of the Shannon Estuary and Limerick.

Irish Independent   The Journal Copyright © 2018 LGiU Ireland, All rights reserved

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Update 9pm: Extreme weather/storm Emma update Sun 4/Mar

Posted on 4 March, 2018 by

Wexford County Council Extreme Weather Event-Update Sunday 4 March 21:30 hrs.

 

National / Regional Roads

Wexford County Council has now cleared all National and Regional roads in County Wexford to a point where they are passable with care.

 

Local Roads

Throughout the day and with significant help from local landowners, members of the farming community, contractors, owners of heavy equipment and the general public, many local roads are also passable – though we continue to urge drivers to proceed with extreme caution.

Drivers should note that many local roads may have just a single narrow lane open, with large volumes of snow on both sides of the road, and the public should exercise caution and extend courtesy to oncoming vehicles as they drive these roads in the coming days. Drivers should also be aware of the danger of ponding of water, particularly on local roads, as the snow continues to melt.

Other Roads

Due to the scale of the snowfall Wexford County Council continues to request assistance from the public in clearing snow from footpaths in front of their premises in urban areas and clearing snow from roads and footpaths in housing estates.

In addition, where it is considered safe to do so, people with equipment such as high-power tractors with loading shovels etc are encouraged to assist in clearing snow from local roads, but to do so safely and to avoid creating any additional hazards

Water Supplies

Throughout the day crews worked to restore water supply to many parts of the county. In conjunction with Irish Water, the Council has succeeded in restoring supply to Gorey and Kilmore areas – though customers should note it may take some hours for the pipework to refill and water pressure to be restored.

Some 15,000 customers remain without water supply this evening, mainly in the Wexford Town area. Water tankers have been made available in a number of locations in Wexford and it is expected that supply will be restored later tomorrow evening or latest Tuesday.

Flood Risk

Wexford County Council has no immediate concerns regarding the possibility of flooding. However, we continue to carefully monitor the situation and we have contingency plans in place, should the situation change over the coming days.

Other

The Department of Defence and Wexford Civil Defence continue to provide cover to the HSE and Ambulance Service. They are assisted this evening by Civil Defence personnel from Tipperary and Laois, while civil defence teams from Dublin, Waterford and Kilkenny are on standby to provide further resources if required.

Emergency Call Centre

All public offices of Wexford County Council offices remain closed tomorrow Monday 5 March. We wish to reassure the public that our Emergency Call Centre 053 91 96000 will continue to operate from 9.00am to 5.00pm to take emergency calls.

Emergency calls can also be emailed to stormemmaec@wexfordcoco.ie

Wexford County Council Crisis Management Team, together with representatives of An Garda Siochána, HSE, Department of Defence, Wexford Civil Defence and the Ambulance Service will meet again tomorrow to review and further co-ordinate the response to this extreme weather event.

Please be advised that all offices of Wexford County Council including all libraries will remain closed for normal business on Monday 5th March. The Emergency Call Centre will remain in operation on 053-9196000 from 9am – 5pm on Monday. Out of hours Emergency number : 1890 666 777.

All Wexford National Primary Routes now passable with extreme care by cars.

New Ross Municipal District

We are making significant progress on yesterday, the rising temperature is assisting the hard work on the ground.

We have full clearing operation in place again today throughout the District and have achieved access to most areas.

The primary and regional roads are passable. The aim is to connect villages to main roads. That might only be on one route from a main road with single lane access today. Once we establish an access we will return to clear further. Access on local roads is must be with extreme care.

New Ross town is clear and accessible. Entrance to many estates has been cleared and will continue. It’s really helpful when residents lend a hand and clear footpaths in estates.

Power supply has been restored at Ballycullane in last hour and ESB is working hard to repair fault to reservoir in the coming hours to allow water supply to be restored. Bealistown 38kVa substation near Folksmills is still out affecting approx 3,000 or 4,000 customers.

A water tanker will be delivered to Ramsgrange Village this afternoon until that power and water supply is sorted.

WCC offices will not open to the public tomorrow Monday 05/03. The Crisis Management Team and the emergency call centre will operate from Co Hal from 9am to 5pm tomorrow Monday. We aim to open offices to the public and resume a full service on Tuesday.

Irish Water: Disruptions for some customers in Wexford town following recent spell of freezing weather

3rd March 2018 Update – Issues associated with the recent spell of freezing weather are leading to supply disruptions for Irish Water customers in Wexford town.  Irish Water and Wexford County Council are working to resolve these issues and carry out any necessary repairs as quickly as possible.

However, due to the complexity of the repairs and difficulty accessing the affected sites due to the weather conditions, water restrictions will be put in place in the town from 10pm this evening to 8am tomorrow (Sunday) morning. This is necessary in order to maintain critical supplies for Wexford Hospital.

Irish Water and Wexford County Council will begin to carry out repairs tomorrow (Sunday) morning and updates will be provided as this work progresses. Alternative water supplies will be put in place and details of the locations of these supplies will be posted on the Irish Water website and on local media during the course of the day.

In order to minimise water restrictions and allow the reservoirs to refill over the coming days, customers are urged to conserve water where possible by not running taps unnecessarily and taking showers instead of baths. Irish Water is especially appealing to anyone with an outside tap to ensure that it is securely turned off. A constant flow from an external tap over 24 hours is the equivalent of the usage of 40 households in the same period.

Irish Water and Wexford County Council would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience this is causing and assures customers that repairs will be completed as soon as it is safe to do so.

Once further information is available we will issue another update. Updates will also be posted to the supply and service section of Irish Water’s website at http://www.water.ie/water-supply/supply-and-service-update/ or via the 24/7 customer care line at 1850 278 278.

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