Derry bridge closed as Storm Éowyn makes landfall in Ireland

It was announced after 4.40am this morning that the bridge has been closed “due to the increasing high winds”, with many across the north west being awoken as Storm Éowyn arrived from the south even before the red alert becomes active.

There was brisk trading, empty shelves and queues at some supermarkets and shops yesterday as people stocked up ahead of Storm Éowyn making landfall, but by last night the streets in many areas were already falling silent well in advance of the warning coming into effect here this morning at 7am.

People have been warned to stay indoors today with gusts nearing 100 miles per hour in some areas expected to pose a danger to life. The strongest winds in Derry, Strabane and Inishowen are expected to arrive from around 8am and the red warning remains in place through until 2pm Friday.

A general warning of ‘very dangerous conditions’, flying debris and potential destruction was also issued by the Met Office yesterday as it upgraded the alert status from orange to red. Widespread disruption to air, road and sea travel is expected along with power outages.

Education Minister Paul Givan said that the decision to ask all schools across the north to close today has been taken “to avoid any potential risk to life for children and young people as well as staff”.

NWRC and Ulster University have also closed and moved classes online, while many parks, cemeteries and leisure centres were expected to be closed and waste collections suspended.

At City of Derry Airport Loganair have cancelled all flights today due to storm Éowyn.

A spokesperson said: "Some disruption to other flight schedules may be expected, passengers should monitor the status of their flight with the airline, further updates will be shared when available.

“As a result of all morning flights being cancelled, currently the airport building and car park will be closed until 11.45am and the airfield closed until 12.30pm.”

The Western Trust meanwhile has said they are planning for planning for “significant disruption to our health and social care services” as a result of the extreme weather on Friday.

“Our focus will be on maintaining safe services for acutely unwell patients within our inpatient facilities and protecting urgent and emergency care. Our community services will strive to maintain services for the most vulnerable clients," a spokesperson said, adding:

“Our message to patients and service users is that they should assume any scheduled appointments are cancelled unless contacted by the Trust to advise otherwise.

“Given the advice from the PSNI not to travel and the cancellation of public transport, we would strongly encourage people to use our Phone First service, where appropriate, before travelling to our Emergency Departments. The Phone First triage service is available on 0300 020 6000. In an emergency, always call 999.”

As the storm hurtled across the Atlantic towards Ireland overnight, utility companies urged people to report any faults. In the case of emergencies, contact: NI Water: 03457 44 00 88 or visit niwater.com and NIE Networks: 03457 643 643 or visit nienetworks.co.uk.

Across Derry and Strabane Council services will not be in operation today, and all council run facilities including play parks, cemeteries, greenways, recycling centres, leisure centres and playing pitches are closed.

The civic offices at Strand Road, Derry and Derry Road, Strabane are closed along with the Guildhall, Tower Museum and Alley Theatre and any events planned at these venues have been either cancelled or postponed.

Refuse Collections are suspended on Friday. The public are asked not to leave out their bins and to ensure they are stored in a safe place during the storm. It is hoped that some level of service will be reinstated on Saturday, but that is dependent on what impact the storm has on roads and facilities.

“Our street cleansing teams will not be servicing the city and towns on Friday and will resume their services when it is safe to do so.

“All of our Cemeteries will be closed to the public and for burials on Friday. The Cemeteries will only reopen once they are inspected and deemed safe to do so.

“Council owned car parks that have barriers - such as William Street in Derry and Canal Basin in Strabane – will close this evening Thursday and remain closed all day tomorrow Friday, with a delayed opening on Saturday until deemed safe to do so.

“Routine health and safety inspections will be carried out on all Council facilities as soon as possible following the storm and prior to them reopening. The public are asked to be patient as it may take time for them to open, and they will only be opened when deemed safe to do so.

“Householders and businesses across the Council area are also encouraged to take the necessary measures to keep them and their property safe and to take note of the weather warnings and advice issued around unnecessary travel. The public should also be wary of possible fallen trees and power lines, destruction to property, flying debris and road blockages in the aftermath of the storm.”

Emergency Contact numbers:

Emergency services 999 or 112

Flooding Incident Line - 0300 2000 100

NI Electricity Networks – 03457 643 643

NI Gas Emergency Service – 0800 002 001

NI Water – 03457 440 088

Housing Executive – 03448 920 901

Report a blocked road – 0300 200 7891