13 counties face rain warning as businesses fear flooding may cause permanent closures

Eva Osborne

13 counties will face a status yellow rain warning on Friday as the country, particularly the southeast, continues to deal with extensive flooding caused by Storm Chandra.

Carlow, Dublin, Kilkenny, Louth, Wexford, Wicklow, and Waterford will come under a status yellow rain warning at 12pm. It will expire at midnight.

Met Éireann is warning that further heavy rain and showers falling on saturated ground, combined with high river levels, will lead to localised flooding, river flooding, and difficult travel conditions.

Meanwhile, in the north, Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Tyrone, and Derry will be under a status yellow rain warning until 6pm.

Businesses and residents in Enniscorthy are continuing to assess the damage caused by floods earlier this week.

A number of local shops, cafes, and restaurants in the town have yet to reopen, with some fearing they may have to close their businesses permanently.

Speaking on Newstalk, President of Wexford Chamber of Commerce, Ed Murphy, said many impacted businesses do not have insurance.

"Because of the amount of Government reports that have been done on Enniscorthy as a flood risk, now no insurnace companies will touch the businesses and therefore they have no insurance," he said.

"Now they've again got flooded. It's the 12th flood in 25 years."

Motorists are being advised to remain cautious on the roads due to localised flooding and difficult driving conditions.