Further flooding possible, Met warns

Met Éireann has warned of further possible flooding throughout the country today after last night’s heavy rains left many areas severely hit by flooding.

The forecaster said a band of heavy rain with thunderstorms and hail will move northwards across the country before drier weather follows tomorrow.

Last night’s deluge left counties Cork and Antrim swamped as upwards of 50mm of rain fell in some areas.

Parts of Douglas, Togher, the South Ring Road and Kinsale on the outskirts of Cork city were worst affected, while the main arterial routes in east and south Belfast were impassable due to flood water and abandoned vehicles.

Gardaí report that several parts of Glanmire were badly flooded with several major roads in the area completely impassable after being submerged in water. The city centre has largely avoided flooding, with most damage being caused in built up environs in low-lying areas in the suburbs.

Emergency services in the city received 128 calls for help, including 45 callers needing direct rapid response.

Douglas village in Co Cork this morning. Photograph: Renate Murphy (@renatemurphy)

In west Cork, Clonakilty, Dunmanway and Ballinascarthy suffered serious flooding as did parts of Togher, Greenmount Cloghroe, Waterloo and Crookstown. Mallow in north Cork was also affected. Cork Civil Defence has units working in Ballyvolane which was badly hit and has other units in Glanmire.

In Co Cork, a teenager helping out with flood-protection work in Clonakilty had a lucky escape early this morning after he suffered an electrical shock from an ESB cable. The 16-year-old was helping to put sandbags in place near the Imperial Hotel in the town when a manhole cover lifted up and flood waters made contact with a live wire.

It’s understood that the teenager suffered a shock in the incident at around 4.30am but was not seriously injured and was treated locally.

Military personnel recovered an ambulance from a flood on the N71 overnight following a Garda request.

The flooding also led to thousands of homes in the region being left without power. But ESB this afternoon said power had been restored to all customers in Douglas, while 200 homes and businesses in the Bandon area and 400 in Clonakilty still had no electricity.

In Clonakilty, flood waters have continued to abate, and a major clean-up is under way in the west Cork town.

Severe flooding along the streets of Clonakilty, Co Cork this morning

The National Coordinating Group on Flooding was convened by the Department of the Environment at 9.30am and again at 2.30pm to monitor the situation and provide support for the local response, if required, the department said.

President of Cork Chamber John Mullins said the increase in localised flooding events in the region needs to be addressed.

“It is essential that the causes are investigated without delay and the necessary investments are made, accompanied by the implementation of planned warning systems," he said.

Mr Mullins also called on insurers to assess damaged businesses and properties as soon as possible to help them resume trading.

Cork city council said its flood emergency response plan swung into effect at 3.30am and the crisis management team met at 7am. It said staff from the fire and emergency services and roads and drainage units followed a swift and co-ordinated response to incidents throughout the morning.

“All council services associated with a flood response continue to be activated and will continue throughout the day to respond where required,” a spokesman said.

Weather and river levels will also be monitored through the day.

The council said it was alerted to a weather warning at 5pm yesterday and dispatched teams to carry out checks at key flooding spots. “The rainfall has now abated and water levels are dropping,” a spokesman said. “But roads remain impassable in a number of areas including Clonakilty town, Douglas and Sarsfield’s Road.”

The council said the region has been hit by three times the average monthly rainfall total for June.

A joint emergency response number (021) 4208000 for both Cork county and city is in operation for members of the public affected by the floods.

In the North the worst-affected include Lisburn, Dunmurry, Belfast and Bangor.

Northern Ireland water received almost 3,000 calls from the public reporting blocked sewers and localised flooding. A lot of the floodwater in the Belfast area has now subsided. A city council spokesperson warned a high alert is in place to deal with further downpours as the day progresses and there are still a number of sites around the city, particularly in the east, affected.

A freephone flooding advice line (0800 707 6965) for Belfast is open to help those that have experienced flooding and by lunchtime today it had received over 500 calls.

Visiting some of the worst affected homes in the city, Belfast lord mayor Gavin Robinson said while there have been no new flooding incidents reported since last night, the forecast remains uncertain.

“Sandbags are still being delivered to the worst affected areas and anyone wishing to use shower facilities in council leisure centres can do so free of charge,” he added.

Dr Anne Wilson from Northern Ireland’s Public Health Authority said the risks include injuries caused by hidden dangers under the water such as missing manhole covers or people falling into fast flowing waters. “The risk of contracting illness is generally low. However, as it is not always clear whether water is contaminated or not, the public are urged to exercise caution and assume that flood water is contaminated," she added.

The overnight rain follows a weather warning issued yesterday by Met Éireann in which heavy overnight rainfall totals of 30 to 50mm with the possibility of localised totals of up to 70mm were predicted.

Motorists in affected areas have been urged to slow down, increase braking distance and use dipped headlights to improve visibility. Those that find themselves having to drive through standing water are advised to drive through the centre of the road.

AA Roadwatch is advising motorists that once they start driving through the water, to keep going but only if they can see what is on the other side. They are also advised not take their foot off the accelerator as water may get into the exhaust.

In Co Tipperary, motorists have been warned to take care on the M8 motorway where surface water has been reported between J11 Cahir South and J12 Mitchelstown North.

Additional reporting: PA