The National Emergency Co-ordination Group will meet tomorrow (Sunday) to discuss preparations to cope with the storm due to hit Ireland on Monday.
Officials from a number of Government departments as well as emergency services and the Defence Forces will meet to discuss co-ordination for the event.
Met Éireann has issued a red weather alert, its highest level warning, as the tail-end of Hurricane Ophelia hits our shores.
Red warnings refer to the most severe weather conditions in which people are advised to “take action to protect themselves and/or their property”.
The warning is in place for counties Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry from 9am on Monday until 3am on Tuesday.
That may be upgraded for other counties including Donegal.
The emergency group is expected to discuss various issues including possible disruption to transportation on Monday as well as co-ordination of local responses.
Met Éireann will give an update on latest predictive models for the storm and the path it will take.
Sandbags have already been distributed in some areas in advance of possible coastal flooding that could arise from high winds and sea swells.
Wind gusts of over 130km/h are expected to batter western counties.
The weather warning pushed Bus Éireann to cancel its school bus services in counties Galway, Mayo, Clare, Cork and Kerry.
Parents across Donegal have also received texts from Bus Eireann issuing a pre-warning that school buses here could also be cancelled.
