Following advice from the Department of Further and Higher Education that all universities are to close during the red weather warning for Storm Éowyn, RCSI will be closed from Thursday evening (23 January) with a planned reopening on Saturday morning at 10am (25 January), once all buildings have been inspected to ensure they are safe for students and staff.

The safety of students and staff is of paramount importance at RCSI. Staff whose roles allow for remote working are asked to work from home during the campus closure, with flexibility and understanding with respect to childcare and caring demands.

Researchers are requested to strictly follow the University closure notice. Access will only be granted in exceptional circumstances. Due to severity of the warning any request for access needs to be submitted to safety@rcsi.ie for approval.

Students on placement outside of Dublin can return this afternoon or this evening (Thursday, 23 January) should they wish to do so – however please follow advice relative to the area you are located and only travel if safe to do so.

Students due to be on clinical placement tomorrow (Friday) are not expected to attend as all public transport will be suspended during the red weather warning.

Students and staff are urged to take necessary precautions to stay safe and to check the Met Éireann website for updates.

Some general advice to stay safe:

• Keep your eircode to hand as it is helpful in times of emergency.
• Stay away from the edge of coastal areas, as well as cliffs, harbours, marinas, piers, rivers, lakes and breakwaters.
• Power cuts are possible, so charge phones and powerbanks, and check batteries in torches.
• If power goes, use LED candles, not real ones if possible.
• Have your meter point reference number (MPRN) to hand when contacting ESB Networks. The MPRN starts with the digits 10 and is shown on the bill from your electricity supplier.
• Know where to switch off electricity, gas and water supplies.
• Check on isolated or vulnerable neighbours and family members.
• If you do need to go out be aware that very strong winds could make driving conditions hazardous, especially for cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists and high-sided vehicles.
• Check vehicle tyres and turn lights on before driving.
• If trees fall, electricity lines will come down. If a tree is down, be careful as live wires could be there too.