TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS overnight on Sunday resulted in severe flooding in parts of Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Tipperary, which saw houses evacuated and motorists stranded. Between 25mm and 35mm of rain fell in a 12-hour period and the worst-affected areas could take more than 24 hours to fully drain, according to Met Éireann.
Inadequate flood defences in rural parts of the east and
midlands have been highlighted by
local authority officials, who said most areas affected are
repeatedly flooded during bad weather.
Five families were evacuated from their homes in Mountrath, Co
Laois, while north Dublin was
the worst hit by traffic disruption. Residents of five houses
adjacent to the bridge over the Whitehorse
river in Mountrath spent a second night out of their homes
last night due to damage sustained after the river broke its
banks.
The emergency services were called at about 3am yesterday after the ground floors were flooded. The families were evacuated while the fire brigade pumped out the water. They have since been unable to return home.
One resident has been housed in emergency accommodation. Pat
Treacy, a senior council
engineer, said the area was very prone to flooding. "These
houses have already been flooded twice in
the last year, but remedial measures are planned for the
area."
Several roads in north Dublin were impassable for most of
yesterday morning and although
there were no major crashes, a number of cars were
stranded.
Routes in Malahide, Balbriggan, Rush, Lusk and Skerries were all
badly affected. Blake's Cross in
Lusk experienced the worst of the flooding, resulting in the
closure of the R132 until after midday and
the diversion of the No 33 bus.
"Flooding at Blake's Cross arose from a very high level of
rainfall coinciding with intense local thunderstorm conditions. The
situation was made worse by a fallen tree stump blocking a local
culvert," a spokeswoman for Fingal County Council said. The areas
worst affected are those "traditionally
prone to flooding", she said.
While the council has carried out widespread flood-alleviation
works in recent years, "rainfall
levels like those experienced last night and early this
morning, in conjunction with localised thunderstorms, represent
very unusual weather conditions for which it is difficult to
prepare".
Road closures resulted in heavy traffic on the M1 during the
morning rush-hour, according to
AA Roadwatch. Roads were closed in Coolock, Blanchardstown
and Ballyfermot for much of the
morning. Roads in Naas, Kill and Clane in Co Kildare and in
Roscrea and Templemore in Co Tipperary
were also badly flooded.
"The road from Templemore to Dunkerrin just outside the town was
the worst flooded, with the
water rising to a metre in parts of the road. No houses were
affected but this is an area that is always
being flooded and there is an OPW [Office of Public Works]
proposal to tackle it," Kieran Callanan,
senior engineer with North Tipperary County Council,
said.
