As Storm Éowyn began unleashing dangerous winds on Laois this morning, Council staff were gathering in County Hall

As winds from Storm Éowyn began to batter Laois, a team from Laois County Council met in Portlaoise to link in emergency services and coordinate a response to the record breaking storm.  

Laois County Council’s Severe Weather Coordination Group met in County Hall at 5am to plan their response to Storm Éowyn in Laois.  

A/C Senior Executive Officer Pamela Tynan explained that the Local Coordination Group is chaired by Council Chief Executive Michael Rainey and he is supported by the Director of Services and teams from each section of the Council. 

“The "Severe Weather Local Coordination Group" met at County Hall at 5 a.m. Since 5:30am, personnel at County Hall have answered calls with other staff operating remotely. There is a Digital Logging System in place to receive and record calls from the public.

Through our help desk and other external sources, we receive information and summarise into the four following headings: Summary of current situation, Key Issues., Strategic Aims/Priorities and Actions.” 

She explained that “Management and Teams are capturing key issues, interfaced with national coordination group and An Garda Siochana, HSE, Uisce Eireann and ESB Networks. A representative from An Garda Siochana and HSE are on site.”

Ms Tynan said the Chief Fire Officer and the Senior Engineer of roads, are in contact with their crews to manage the on-site response. Regular updates are being issued through the Council’s website and social media.

“We have had a significant volume of calls with a significant amount of interaction and follow-up for each call.  We have five staff in county hall and five staff remotely monitoring the emergency line,” she said. 

The coordination group continued its work to try and ensure that the roads are clear,  areas are safe for the public and safety messages were being delivered.   

A hotline was open to help members of the public until 5pm today.  The Council warned that there would be multiple hazards on streets, roads and footpaths.