The storm’s red alert weather warning remains in effect until at least 4pm this afternoon – but that hasn’t stopped shoppers from emptying supermarkets up and down the country, as this morning again, people can hardly believe that there’s no bread, milk and other supplies left after eager shoppers raced to grab all they could.
Some stores in Ireland are reportedly being stripped bare as customers prepare for Storm Eowyn. Bread and milk, among other necessities, are reportedly flying off the shelves, and social media is overflowing with pictures of lengthy lines and empty aisles, reports The Mirror.
With the issuance of exceedingly uncommon Status Red weather warnings for the whole nation, Ireland is preparing for what is predicted to be one of the deadliest storms in recent memory.
Described as a multi-hazard event, Storm Eowyn has the potential to cause significant damage. Over 130 km/h winds are predicted to cause severe damage and chaos overnight and on Friday. The system will gradually depart on Friday night, but not before the gusts are accompanied by heavy rain and, in some areas, snow, reports The Mirror.
It is recommended that everyone stay indoors during the storm, if at all possible, due to the possibly fatal winds linked with the event.
Met Eireann stressed: “This level of winds have the potential to pose a threat to life and property, so the public is advised to shelter in place under any red level warning, and limit travel to essential only and shelter in place as much as possible under any orange warning, as there will be extremely dangerous travelling conditions, fallen trees, and power outages expected broadly,” reports The Mirror.
Public transport and health services will be affected by Storm Eowyn, and schools, creches and colleges have been instructed to close while the red level alert is in effect.
TheLiberal.ie won’t quit
Please support us with a small donation on PayPal!
Supermarkets have stated that they will close throughout the storm, but if the weather permits, they want to reopen Friday afternoon. Consumers have been advised to maintain composure and avoid making rash purchases, reports The Mirror.
CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland Jean McCabe said: “It is short, and by midday on Friday, it will have have passed over most of the country passing through the North by 2pm, so the window is quite small, and if you’re going to run out of milk, the stores will be back open when it is safe to do so after that red warning is finished.”
That message, though, appears to have gone unheard. Dramatic stories of crowded supermarkets, lengthy lines, and empty shelves suggest that panic purchasing has taken hold, reports The Mirror.
Shoppers are complaining on social media that the mayhem is like “the end of the world” or even like Christmas rushes.
“You would think it was the start of Armageddon in Dunnes Stores in Pavilions Swords,” one person said, while another called the lines at their neighbourhood Dunnes Stores “apocalyptic.” What a foolish carry. What is wrong with this nation’s citizens?
Another frustrated customer abandoned their shopping altogether, writing: “I went into Dunnes earlier to pick up a few bits for dinner. It was beyond mental! I had to abandon my basket and walk out. Surely people know they are being overly dramatic…Surely??? Buying ridiculous amounts of food that they won’t be able to cook if there are power cuts,” reports The Mirror.
Others wrote: “It’s like the end of the world in Dunnes Stores Blanch”, “Ran into Dunnes to get a few bits this morning at 8.30 after dropping daughter off at school. Usually lovely and quiet at that time, but today place was jammed in preparation for Armageddon tomorrow”, and “Panic stations in Dunnes again today, bread and bog roll gone,” reports The Mirror.
The start and finish times for the red warnings issued for Friday are:
- 2am-10am: Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford
- 3am-11am: Clare and Galway
- 4am-12pm: Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo
- 6am-11am: Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon and Tipperary
- 7am-2pm: Donegal
- 7am-2pm: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone and Derry
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.
