An ORANGE status weather warning remains in place for County Laois.
All Laois County Council outdoors crews are deployed at present, working mainly on county and local roads. The focus yesterday was on main roads, town centre locations where footpaths were cleared, as well as footpaths near schools, hospitals and medical centres across the County. Laois County Council wishes to acknowledge the support of contractors, the agricultural sector, building contractors and private individuals with access to plant and machinery who supported us in our efforts to unblock as many local and county roads as possible and support the emergency services in reaching locations where incidents are arising. We also wish to acknowledge the support of 42 personnel from the Defence Forces who greatly assisted the efforts yesterday.
The road network is currently being reviewed and we are conscious that there remain locations on some local minor roads where roads remain blocked due to large snow accumulations. We ask for your continued patience as Laois County Council crews endeavour, with the support of contractors, to clear these blocked routes as soon as possible.
With regard to any potential flooding risk, the Council continues to monitor river levels at this time. These levels remain low and will be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Please be advised if you require the assistance of the emergency services please dial 999. The local number for the Severe Weather Communication Centre is 1890837273.
We would ask the public to check https://www.winterready.ie/en for information and advice on how to deal with potential adverse weather conditions affecting homeowners, businesses, farming community etc. Please also check on the elderly and isolated neighbours and friends and ensure they have adequate stocks of food and fuel.