In a statement to Ocean FM news Leitrim County Council confirm that they responded to a freak weather incident, in the form of a tornado, that affected Leitrim Village at lunchtime on Sunday afternoon.
Staff from Leitrim County Council Fire Service, Roads Department and the Civil Defence attended the incident along with members of An Garda Siochana and the Ambulance Service. A number of vehicles and properties in the village suffered significant damage, with the roof being removed completely from one building and a number of other building suffering roof damage. A significant amount of debris was thrown onto the footpaths and main road through the village and a clean-up operation is now well underway.
The main R280 road passing through the village has been closed and will remain closed until such time as a Storm Fergus has passed and a further assessment of the structural damage within the village has been carried out. This assessment will be carried out in conjunction with external consulting engineers. When the Council is satisfied that it is safe to do so, the road and footpaths through the village be reopened at that point.
A traffic management solution has been put in place and traffic is being diverted on alternate routes around Leitrim village. The footpaths in the village are also closed to pedestrian traffic and will remain so until a further assessment is completed as outlined above.
As a result of the damage to property, some residents of Leitrim Village required alternative accommodation and Leitrim County Council have assisted and provided accommodation for those persons.
In the interest of safety, the footpaths and road through Leitrim village will remain closed until further notice. Leitrim County Council regrets any inconvenience that this may cause.
