DOZENS OF people had to be evacuated from their homes in north Dublin in the early hours of yesterday morning as a result of severe flooding following torrential overnight rains.
Almost three weeks’ average rainfall hit the capital over a 90- minute period from about 2am. Other parts of the country were also affected by exceptionally heavy rains and thunder and lightning storms, but the worst of the flooding occurred in Dublin.
The extreme weather resulted in road closures across the city and the collapse of a roof in part of the Mater Misericordiae Hospital. No patients were hurt but a ward had to be evacuated.
The public was asked not to attend the hospital’s AE department yesterday, which was closed because of flooding.
Apartments housing 20 people on Sherrard Street were evacuated in the early hours due to flooding while Dublin Fire Brigade also attended at a house in Monkstown, Co Dublin, where the roof collapsed.
Joanne Smyth, who rents a basement apartment on Ballybough Road in Dublin, said she woke yesterday morning and stepped out of bed into about six inches of water.
She said the drainage system to handle excess water was not adequate and that damage was likely to cost thousands of euros to repair.
“There was water everywhere. The only thing that’s not ours in here is the floor. The beds were floating, the sofa is wrecked and our laptop is destroyed.”
Ms Smyth said that, despite the property flooding seven years previously, little had been done to address the problem.
Another 20 residents of Clanmoyle Road, Donnycarney, were evacuated after the lower floors of their houses filled with flood water. Some of the same houses had sustained severe damage during floods last August.
Local Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State Seán Haughey said he doubted Dublin City Council had taken the correct preventive measures after the last floods in the Donnycarney area.
“I am calling on Dublin City Council to upgrade the River Wad culvert so that these intolerable flood events can be eliminated for these distressed residents.”
Additional gullies had been constructed since last August, yet the flooding recurred with “devastating consequences for all concerned”, Mr Haughey said.
“This has been a heart-breaking event for these home owners who have been coming to terms with the flooding event last August. Many have undertaken home improvements and replaced soft furnishings and fittings only to be hit with a second, catastrophic flash flood event.”
Labour city councillor Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said the council had failed to live up to its promises. “Residents in Dublin North Central and in particular Donnycarney, having been flooded now for the second time in less than 12 months, have been let down by Dublin City Council.”
However, Lord Mayor of Dublin Emer Costello said the floods were a consequence of climate changes and the Government must adequately fund the council to deal with future events.
“I believe that radical measures now need to be taken at central Government level to make more funding available to the relevant authorities to plan and mitigate for future occurrences of this type of weather event.”
Several roads were impassible until yesterday afternoon, but all had reopened before evening. However, the outbound lane of the Ballymun Road at Collins Avenue remained restricted and unlikely to reopen until Monday.
Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said the Garda Traffic Corps should have a rapid reaction force to be deployed in such emergencies.
