Red alert today all over Ireland, because of Emma, the snowstorm and cold blast that has hit the country and that is forecasted to torment it until tomorrow. The authorities asked people to stay at home as much as they can and not to underestimate the danger. Schools have been closed, public transport is not running. The archdiocese of Dublin wrote to the parishes to recommend that, as long as the alert is on, “schools should be kept closed and all unnecessary religious services should be cancelled” and asked everyone to “keep an eye on old people and neighbours”. What has not stopped is the spirit of solidarity: in Dublin, the Great Cherry Orchard will be open nonstop from this morning to Saturday morning to provide “emergency shelter to all those who need it”, as well as free tea, coffee and soup every day. A widespread mobilisation for the Homeless Dublin service, which has been working for days to find all those who are still living in the streets this winter and bring them back into some covered shelter. On social media, lots of demands arrived through the grapevine: warm clothes, blankets, a four-wheel drive car to drive people in need … News is also coming from Sweden about the intense cold causing quite a lot of problems. In the capital city, for days the churches have been opening their doors in a rota to accommodate the people who live in the streets, under the coordination of the “Vinternatt” project. The number of people accommodated in the Filadelfiakyrkan and in the Immanuelskyrkan is growing exponentially.