Schools are set to remain shut tomorrow in counties which are currently under, or scheduled to be under red and orange weather warnings.
Schools in Waterford, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Cork, Kerry, Wexford, Limerick, Galway and Clare are set to remain closed tomorrow with colleges in these counties also set to remain shut.
Any schools outside of these zones can re-open where safe to do and the decision to open or close lies with individual schools if they believe remaining closed is justifiable.
A statement from the Department of Education reads as follows:
"The Department is advising that all schools that are currently or forecast to be in a Red or Orange alert area should remain closed tomorrow, 8th December. This will allow for assessment of the impact of Storm Barra to take place.
This includes counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Wexford.
Schools that are no longer in a Red or Orange Alert area can reopen, provided that, if there are concerns, school managers have had an opportunity to check for fallen wires and other serious damage in the vicinity of school buildings. If an individual school (in a yellow area) is still experiencing a particular local issue relating to the storm the Board of Management can make a decision to remain closed for tomorrow.
All schools should keep up-to-date with the current weather warnings which are carried on all national and local news bulletins and in particular any change in the status warning for their area."
Following the advice from @Education_Ire we will remain closed tomorrow, Wednesday December 8th. Students should log on to #Teams for updates. Stay safe @ceist1 @wlrfm pic.twitter.com/E8txETrcCj
— Presentation Secondary Waterford (@PresWaterford) December 7, 2021
Colleges in areas with weather warnings including Waterford Institute of Technology will remain closed tomorrow along with schools due to the Status Orange wind warning.
In a statement the Department of Higher Education said:
"All further and higher education institutions that are currently or forecast to be in a Red or Orange weather warning area should remain closed tomorrow, 8th December. This will allow for assessment of the impact of Storm Barra to take place.
"This includes counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Wexford.
"All institutions should keep up to date with the current weather warnings which are carried on all national and local news bulletins and in particular any change in the status warning for their area."
Storm Barra continues to take a hold over Ireland this evening with further high tides tonight.
Over 50,000 people nationwide are believed to be without power, including thousands in Waterford.
Updates:
You can follow the latest developments in County Waterford on our live blog here on wlrfm.com.
A status yellow wind and rainfall warning will be in place for all of Ireland until 6pm Wednesday.
