UK: Hurricane Ophelia- Schools closed and thousands without power

From BBC

High winds caused damage across Ireland

Schools are closed and hundreds of thousands of people remain without electricity in Ireland after Ophelia battered the British Isles.

All schools in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remain closed for a second day as the clear-up continues.

Some 245,000 homes and businesses are without electricity in Ireland, 3,800 in Northern Ireland, 2,000 in north Wales and 1,100 in Scotland.

Weather warnings have now been lifted after the storm moved away from the UK.

Three people were killed on Monday in the Republic of Ireland as hurricane-force gusts hit the country.

Father-of-two Fintan Goss, 33, was killed near Ravensdale, County Louth, when a car he was in was struck by a tree.

Clare O’Neill, 58, died when a tree fell on her car in strong winds near Aglish Village in County Waterford.

Michael Pyke, 31, died in an incident when he was clearing a fallen tree with a chainsaw in County Tipperary.

Some 20,000 households are without water in Ireland, and it is expected to take days for electricity to be restored for those without it there.

Trees felled in the storm have blocked roads and train lines

The front of a block of flats in Glasgow that had been due to be demolished was brought down

Debris and fallen trees will continue to cause problems

In Northern Ireland, flights and ferries were cancelled as a result of the storm, and many roads are still closed due to fallen trees.

More than 400 incidents of weather-related damage in the country have left people without electricity – mainly in Counties Down, Armagh and Antrim – with Northern Ireland Electricity having restored power to nearly 50,000 customers overnight.

Schools in Northern Ireland are due to be reopened on Wednesday.

In Scotland, a clear-up is under way after roofs were torn off and trees brought down overnight, causing disruption to some rail services.

In Glasgow, part of a derelict block of flats already earmarked for partial demolition collapsed overnight, and a Scouts hall roof was blown off in Dumfries and Galloway as the region took the brunt of winds up to 77mph (123km/h).

Some 1,100 homes are without power in south-west Scotland but are expected to be reconnected later on Tuesday.

Some train services in northern England have been disrupted as a result of trees falling across railway lines, including on the line between Halifax and Bradford Interchange.

More than 130 trees were cleared from roads on the Isle of Man.

The Irish Republic’s Electricity Supply Board said help from Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK was expected to be drafted in on Wednesday to help restore power.

Crews are already working to fix power lines but officials have warned that repairs will take several days, and up to 10 in the worst-hit areas.

The Health Service Executive in the country said there had been a significant impact on health services.

And it warned of disruption in the “coming days”, with some cancellations and delays expected to appointments and discharges from hospital.

A stadium roof in Cork was damaged in the storm

Central London was among the places where a reddish could be spotted on Monday

Strong winds of up to 70mph (112km/h) wreaked havoc in Cumbria on Monday night, damaging the roof of Barrow AFC’s stadium and forcing police to close roads in the town.

Cumbria Police said they had reports of roofs and debris on the roads and overhead cables coming down – and it urged people to make only essential travel.

Ophelia was not only responsible for stormy weather – it also drew tropical air and dust from the Sahara, causing a reddish sky and red-looking sun throughout parts of the UK on Monday.

The charity Asthma UK warned the phenomenon could trigger “potentially fatal asthma attacks” and advised at the time that severe sufferers should stay indoors.

IMAGES:
Residents look at fallen trees in CorkImage copyright AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Red sun in sky above ShardImage copyright PA
A stadium roof in Cork was damaged in the stormImage copyright AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Three floors of the unoccupied building in Glasgow were damaged in the partial collapse The front of a block of flat in Glasgow that had been due to be demolished was brought downImage copyright PA
A police officer next to a tree in Sale, Greater ManchesterImage copyright REUTERS

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-41647852