EAST COAST:FLOODS THAT devastated much of the west and midlands for more than a week hit the east of the country yesterday when the river Liffey burst its banks.
Kildare was worst affected by the heavy rains of 20mm to 40mm in places, with three nursing homes and several houses evacuated, and a number of roads left impassible.
Nursing homes were evacuated at Sallins, Clane and Newtown Grove as a precautionary measure yesterday.
The Waterways estate in Sallins was badly flooded and had to be evacuated yesterday afternoon. Electricity supplies in most of the estate’s houses were lost as a result of the flood.
Ballymore Eustace, Kilcullen, Newbridge, Clane, Straffan, Celbridge and Leixlip remained under flood warning last night, following large discharges from the Leixlip dam on the river Liffey yesterday afternoon.
The westbound carriageway of the Naas to Newbridge road between Toughers and Newbridge remained closed overnight and parts of the N7 and N4 were also flooded yesterday.
While the Liffey burst its banks at the Strawberry Beds in west Dublin, leaving the Lower Road impassible, homes were not affected and the city is expected to escape the worst of the flooding with drier weather due today, the Government’s Emergency Response Co-ordination Committee chairman Seán Hogan said.
“Flood waters will be coming down, so one would be hopeful . . . I suspect the worst has past as long as the ESB continues to hold the water levels in the Wicklow mountains.”
However, flood waters remain high in the west and midlands and will take several weeks to recede, Mr Hogan said, and some areas, particularly south Galway, were showing little sign of any reductions.
There were also fears that Limerick city, which has been free from flooding, could be at risk from high tides tomorrow, he said.
“At the moment Limerick city itself is not affected by the flooding. They’re anticipating no major change in that until Tuesday. . . but the OPWs embankment, we hope, will improve the situation there and prevent what happened last week happening there.”
Water levels in Athlone continued to rise yesterday, albeit at slighter levels, and the floods were likely to take “weeks to recede”, Mr Hogan said.
In south Galway, the Irish Farmers’ Association has called for one single authority to assume management of the Shannon waterway if a “crisis is not to be repeated”.
Bishop of Clonfert Dr John Kirby also called for one river management authority and expressed his shock at the human suffering he had witnessed in the Clonfert and Meelick areas.
IFA Connacht vice-president Michael Silke said it was imperative a single authority with statutory powers was created, and one that provided representation for those living along the 344km (240 mile) Shannon corridor.
“Vested interests, namely the ESB and Waterways Ireland, wish to maintain the level of the Shannon’s three major lakes, Allen, Ree and Derg, artificially high, and these bodies must now take direction from one agency which will seek to manage this river properly after years of neglect,” Mr Silke said.
He was also critical of the decision by three MEPs to take an aerial trip over their northwest constituency at the weekend to view the flood damage. “It is down on the ground they should be, to witness the human suffering,” he said.
Fianna Fáil MEP Pat “the Cope” Gallagher, Fine Gael’s Jim Higgins and Independent Marian Harkin confirmed yesterday in a statement that they had flown over the area by helicopter to get a “full appreciation of the problems posed”.
The three MEPs said they proposed to hold a further meeting with the EU Commission and that the Air Corps should facilitate efforts by EU officials to view the damage.
The MEPs said they were “still confident that the Government application for EU solidarity funding, or funding from other sources to help with the flood relief will be favourably considered in Brussels”.
The Irish Red Cross and St Vincent de Paul have welcomed the “terrific response” to their appeals for assistance for flood victims in the west and south. HSE West intends to open a telephone counselling service today.
Boil notices remained in place in Cork yesterday but all schools were due to reopen today.