A post-Storm Desmond clean- up is under way across the country after heavy rainfall at the weekend caused serious flooding.
There were road closures, power cuts and flooding in some areas as Storm Desmond pounded the country for much of Friday, Saturday and the early hours of yesterday.
Met Éireann’s status red national weather warning was lifted at 3am yesterday as the high winds and rains abated.
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The western seaboard was hardest hit by the storm, but extensive flooding was also reported in the south and northwest in particular.
Among the worst hit areas was Bandon in Co Cork, where the river measured 3.5m, well above the severe warning mark on a gauge at a bridge in the town. Many premises on South Main Street and Oliver Plunkett Street were flooded yesterday.
Tralee in Co Kerry was almost cut off early yesterday, with most of the main roads into the town flooded. The Army was called in to assist with vehicles and personnel, alongside the Civil Defence and county council workers. Canoes were being used in the Manor area of Tralee.
In Co Galway, the village of Craughwell was still impassable last night, after the Dunkellin river burst its banks.
Three houses close to the river were most seriously affected, and Gort gardaí and the Galway Fire Service are continuing to monitor the situation.
Residents of a cottage at Leeha South outside Kinvara were forced to seek help when water from a spring came up through the floor, according to Kinvara-based Fine Gael councillor Joe Byrne.
Secondary roads in the south and east of Galway county were impassable in parts yesterday, but water had begun to recede in some areas.
Flooding on the Kinvara-Ballyvaughan road affected traffic through Bell Harbour and Newquay, and farmland was submerged in areas around Killeeneen and Ardrahan.
Cllr Byrne said the real impact of Storm Desmond would be felt in the next few days, when the run-off from the Slieve Aughty mountains through underground streams to the sea forces turloughs to rise. “We will know the full effect over the next week,” he said.
Crossmolina in Co Mayo was badly hit, with the river Deel bursting its banks. Flooding was also reported along parts of the N60 Claremorris-to- Castlebar road. Although floodwaters had begun to recede yesterday evening, some parts of the riverside town were still without electricity last night.
Westmeath County Council said the river Shannon was flowing at a high level in Athlone yesterday and was expected to rise further today.
In Northern Ireland, parts of counties Tyrone, Derry and Fermanagh suffered flooding as a result of the heavy rain and winds.
North Ireland’s Fire and Rescue Service, along with other agencies and volunteers, assisted up to 30 people after they had become stranded in their flooded homes and vehicles.
The rescue services were busy on Saturday through into the early hours of yesterday morning. In Clady, Co Tyrone, a rescue team used a mechanical digger to reach and assist an elderly man who had become trapped by rising flood waters in his home.
Towns such as Castlederg, Fintona and Cookstown, in Co Tyrone, and Enniskillen and Lisnaskea, in Co Fermanagh, also suffered flooding.
Met Éireann said a band of persistent rain would cross the country from the west during this afternoon and evening. It will clear east early tonight, leaving scattered showers to affect the south and west of the country. Changeable and very unsettled weather will continue this week.
Meanwhile, water safety officials have said two young men who dived into the Atlantic during Storm Desmond were “stupid”. The pair were captured on video at the well-known sea swimming spot at Blackrock in Salthill, Galway, in a clip that has now been viewed more than a million times.
The first to attempt the drop from the famous high-diving boards can be seen readying himself for a back flip in the gale-force winds, heavy rain, sea spray and a fast moving swell. The second opts to jump in feet first.
“There have been a number of posts of videos of young men doing stupid things in the water during Storm Desmond which have gained international coverage,” the organisation said. “While we don’t want to discourage fun, just remember that when the ‘adventure’ goes wrong it will be the volunteer crews of the Coast Guard, the RNLI and other rescue services that have to put themselves in harm’s way to pick up the pieces.”
