Storm Brian Batters Ireland and Hits British Coastal Towns

Storm Brian Batters Ireland and Hits British Coastal Towns
Waves crash over Newhaven Lighthouse on the south coast of England on Oct. 21, 2017, as Storm Brian hits the country. (GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)
Jane Werrell
10/21/2017
Updated:
10/24/2017

Storm Brian has brought flooding, fierce waves and gusts of wind that reached up to 70 miles per hour in southwestern parts of Ireland and the UK this morning, Oct. 21.

Irish forecasters warned residents to take extra care as some structures had been weakened in the wake of Hurricane Ophelia.

Limerick council in Ireland shared footage of flooding at Merchant’s Quay as the River Shannon overflowed.

A woman from Limerick described the terrifying moment when she realized her street was flooded this morning, per Independent.ie.

“We opened the blinds this morning and we got an awful fright. It was really scary to see a river at my front door. I was panicking,” Emma Cora Duggan told the news website.

“I thought I would have been OK after Ophelia. I didn’t expect to look out my window and see floods in my garden,” she said

Wales was clobbered with winds of up to 75 miles per hour and 8 flood warnings have been issued in the country. The strong gusts of wind have forced the M4 to be closed at the Briton Ferry Bridge, Port Talbot.

Debris in Tenby, Wales, was strewn across the harbor after waves gushed into the harbor office.

A windsurfer went into the sea in the middle of Storm Brian at Abersoch Beach, Wales. The man was in difficulty when he found his rig failed in the strong winds.

Luckily Abersoch RNLI went out to sea and safely rescue the man, according to a Facebook Post.

The storm comes as families begin to prepare for their half-term break that starts next Monday.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for parts of Wales and southwest England. Gusts of 45 to 55 miles per hour are expected along the southern and western coastal areas.