Winds and heavy rain buffet much of country

Dublin's Metropolitan Major Emergency Plan was activated yesterday afternoon, when strong winds and heavy rain began buffeting much of the country, causing travel chaos on the roads and disrupting air and ferry services.

Dublin City Council requested that the Defence Forces and Civil Defence be put on standby to deal with any damage caused by flooding or fallen trees.

It was working closely last night with other local authorities in the Dublin region, as well as the health boards and Dublin Fire Brigade, and had teams of workers on 24-hour standby to deal with flooding and any other weather-related dislocation.

Dublin City Council's deputy chief engineer, Mr Tom Leahy, said fallen leaves had been cleared from gullies in an effort to carry rainfall away as quickly as possible. Flood prevention construction work was nearing completion on the Rivers Tolka and Dodder, which had proven susceptible to flooding during storms in recent years.

"We also have teams of people patrolling other known problem areas. Thousands of sandbags have been stocked around the city so they can be accessed quickly if needed. But we'd say to people that if they fear their property might be damaged by flooding, they can get sandbags themselves at builders' providers or DIY centres," he said.

A number of flights into Cork Airport were diverted to Shannon and Farranfore, Co Kerry. A scheduled flight from Cork to Edinburgh turned back because of the weather conditions.

A spokeswoman for Aer Rianta said flights using Dublin Airport had not been affected.

Met Éireann issued a severe weather warning for yesterday and today, saying strong winds would likely blow down trees and cause structural damage, while flooding could also be expected.

It said winds, initially mainly between north-east and south-east in direction, would reach mean speeds of 45 to 55 m.p.h., with gusts of 70 to 80 m.p.h.

It forecast rainfall in excess of 50mm would lead to "severe flooding due to already saturated ground". Some parts of Munster and south Leinster could have rainfall totals of up to 80 mm. High tides, due at midnight last night, would lead to coastal flooding, particularly in the south and east of the country.

The Dublin to Liverpool Seacat sailing and Cork to Swansea ferry were both cancelled yesterday. Irish Ferries also cancelled its Pembroke to Rosslare sailing and the Cherbourg to Rosslare sailing until conditions improve.

AA Roadwatch was reporting long delays around the country, with traffic in some cities and towns having come to a standstill. The loss of power in parts of Cork and Wexford had affected street lighting. The wet weather slowed traffic in Dublin, Waterford and Sligo, and trees blocked some roads in Kilkenny and Wexford.

In Dublin a combination of rain, roadworks and minor collisions resulted in delays to much of the city centre. Flooding at Store Street and Amiens Street was expected to worsen late last night.

The National Safety Council said the weather would result in hazardous driving conditions with fallen debris on roads, flooding and reduced driver visibility due to heavy rainfall. It urged motorists to make only vital journeys and said cyclists should use alternative means of transport.