Lorenzo draws near.

The state of play on the imminent Hurricane/Storm Lorenzo is as follows: Status orange and yellow warnings are set to come into effect on Thursday as Lorenzo draws near to Irish shores. Lorenzo is expected to downgrade to storm status by the time it hits Ireland, but emergency plans are nonetheless in place. On Wednesday, a National Emergency Coordination Group meeting was held, chaired by Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy. Although many points of action were discussed, perhaps the most pressing for many people is the issue of work over the next couple of days. As such, employers are urged to plan today in conjunction with their employees to make arrangements taking account of anticipated travel conditions on Thursday evening into Friday. "We advise people make arrangements taking any warnings into account when planning their journeys to or from work," notes a National Emergency Coordination Group statement. As far as a more general state of affairs, the NECG warns of high seas, very strong winds and the potential for tidal flooding in coastal areas. The Irish Coast Guard are appealing to people to “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry”. Caution is advised when driving, with conditions expected to be hazardous. People are urged to check on isolated or vulnerable neighbours and family members, to be extra vigilant of the risk of falling trees and live power lines and to ensure that mobile phones are fully charged in order to easily enable communication. The National Emergency Coordination Group is continuing to monitor and prepare for the storm and will meet again on Thursday morning to review the developing situation.