New flood warning for lower Shannon

Residents and businesses have been warned water levels along the lower Shannon are continuing to rise steadily, and they may face further flooding over the weekend.

Severe floods remain a possibility in some areas, the national group co-ordinating the response to the floods said yesterday.

The National Co-ordination Group met yesterday morning and briefed media afterwards.

Chairman Seán Hogan said things were improving in many areas. Water levels had stabilised in a number of rivers and were falling in others, including some which were flooded at the weekend.

"We still have one stretch of river which remains at risk and about which we are concerned and that's the lower and middle Shannon catchment, where water levels continue to rise steadily as the rain from last weekend makes its way down the country to drain out to the sea in Limerick.

“However, some Shannon tributary levels are falling, and this will bring relief in some areas which have been under threat already in the Shannon area.”

Local authorities

Mr Hogan said the situation was being managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and

ESB

Generation in consultation with local authorities.

Jim Casey of the OPW said all the gauges on the main Shannon had indicated a rise in the 24 hours up to 9am yesterday, with the largest being in Athlone. Rises ranged between about one and three inches. "We are looking at severe floods, potentially."

Last night a status yellow rain warning – the least severe – was in place for Connacht, Donegal, Clare and Kerry.

Mr Casey said the best assessment was that flood levels would peak in the lower Shannon catchment from Lough Derg down to Limerick city on Sunday and Monday.

Discharge level

Limerick City

and

County Council

noted the ESB had decided against increasing the discharge level at the Parteen Weir, but said water levels were continuing to rise.

Council staff, assisted by members of the Defence Forces, continued to implement flood defence measures along the river bank.

Lieut Colonel Kevin Campion of the Defence Forces said there were personnel in Ballinasloe and Athlone continuously in recent days. Troops had also been deployed in Clare early on Wednesday.

He said the Defence Forces remained on standby to assist national efforts. Two alerts had been issued to the Army with regard to the possible need to evacuate people, but they had been evacuated by other means.

The flood co-ordination group said the Department of Social Protection had an important role to play in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as severe weather conditions through the humanitarian assistance scheme.

Met Éireann said there was a "definite high risk of some very wet and very windy spells for Sunday and our medium range which is up to next week".