Road closures and yellow rain warnings amid further flooding
Ellen O'Donoghue and Vivienne Clarke
Some roads are closed, and motorists are being urged to be cautious as more yellow rain warnings were issued by Met Éireann.
A total of eight counties are under two separate yellow rain warnings on Tuesday. Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, and Waterford will be under an alert until 3pm.
A separate warning is in effect for Dublin, Louth and Wicklow until 9pm.
It comes after a period of extensive rainfall overnight.
Met Éireann meteorologist Holly O’Neill has warned that although the levels of rainfall predicted for today would be normal for this time of year, coming as they do after a week of heavy rain, it means that there is a risk of flooding.
“It’s a wet day, it is a lot of rain. But given the fact that we’ve had such a consistent period of rain over the last week, any extra accumulations of rainfall that we get today, particularly over the southeast, whether it’s 10mm or up to 30mm, it will have a more significant impact,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme.
“It’s rain on top of rain, the rain has nowhere to go basically at this point because the ground is so saturated, the rivers are so high or at bank-full conditions.
“So the most likely impacts are going to be for those in the southeast, unfortunately, because they’ve already borne the brunt of that rain for such a prolonged period."
O’Neill also spoke on Newstalk Breakfast, where she elaborated on the further checks involved.
“We have higher-than-normal high tides, coinciding with this, we also have quite strong easterly winds, particularly on the southeast and east coasts.
“So that means that rivers can’t discharge, which then means that rather than the levels gradually falling, the rainfall is actually just exaggerating the risk of river flooding. So it’s really a combination of the worst-case scenario.”
Those in coastal areas have been advised to be alert to the possibility of flooding due to high tides and further heavy rain falling on already saturated ground.
Difficult travelling conditions are expected, Met Éireann said, with motorists warned to slow down and expect surface water.
An advisory is usually issued in advance of a weather warning so the public can prepare for bad news. The advisory is for the whole of the State and lasts until February 9th.
Carlow County Council have once again issued a warning on road closures due to flooding and significantly damaged roads.
Carlow County Fire and Rescue Service is appealing to motorists not to attempt to travel through flood waters following several rescues over the last several days.
Roads Crews continue to respond to roads damaged and closing roads where required. Council crews have road sweepers out clearing debris on priority routes including national and regional roads.
"A number of roads have been significantly damaged and are impassable, please do not pass road closed signs,” a council spokesperson highlighted.
Flood defences
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said there needs to be a balance when it comes to interventions with regard to flood defences.
“There needs to be balance in how you assess this. I think we need, in terms of interventions, we do need to evaluate, constantly evaluate our systems and how we respond,” he told Newstalk’s Claire Byrne show on Tuesday.
“We have brought in a whole lot of regulations around floodplains, and people shouldn't be building on floodplains. The planning regulator has in many instances, much to the chagrin of many local authorities, decided to de-zone land and so on like that. And the whole idea of that was around avoidance of building floodplains."
The weather is changing, he added, and it is having a negative and significant impact.
"In the context of this last week's development plan, I made it clear that we had to invest more in adaptation and mitigation efforts. And adaptation means, I think it means you're, and I know some on the environmental side are opposed to the flood relief schemes, in the way we did in the engineering side in a sense, and would look for more nature-based responses.
"I think we need both. I've seen where we've brought in flood relief schemes, about 56 have been completed now in towns like Bandon and Fermoy and across the country, and it makes a huge difference, and we have a hundred at the moment at different levels and stages of development.”
Martin agreed that the warning system might need to change.
It was not just a case of matching national weather forecasting with local characteristics or local situations.
“That would take a lot of work in terms of river catchment areas and being able to give more precise forecasting for specific local areas, and that is work that's underway already."
Martin said that prevention was the number one way of coping with such events, which meant getting schemes delivered, but they were complex and did take time.
“I think we have to do more short-term work and we do have to look at the nature-based solutions as well, in terms of reflooding areas. But prevention is number one. And number two, we have to take on board the reality that we are going to experience more severe weather events with greater frequency, and in our annual national budgeting we've got to provide funding to enable us to do that, and also provide funding for the capitation.”
Carlow Fianna Fáil TD who was in Graiguenamanagh, on the Kilkenny/Carlow border on Monday after with Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister Kevin “Boxer” Moran and Kilkenny fellow deputy John McGuinness, to see first hand the devastation left behind by flooding when the rivers Duiske and Barrow burst their banks said: “I will do all in my power to lobby and advocate for the people left devastated by flooding.”
In Waterford, the council is warning of heavy rainfall forecast and, from 1pm on Tuesday, flood defence barriers are activated in the village of Passage East. The village was flooded on Monday night.
The situation in Waterford city and Tramore Promenade is being monitored and flood defence barriers will be activated if required.
Wexford County Council is urging members of the public in Enniscorthy, Bunclody, Bridgetown and other villages and towns once again threatened by flooding to reuse sandbags.
“If you received sandbags during Storm Chandra, store them safely - somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight, so that they can be reused at short notice in the future, if needed,” the Council added.
Road safety
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is advising road users to take extra care when using the roads amid the further rain warnings.
Road users in areas affected by the flooding are recommended to check local traffic and weather conditions before setting out on a journey.
The following advice is being given to road users on foot of the current weather warnings:
- Drivers need to slow down and allow a greater braking distance between themselves and the vehicle in front in wet weather conditions. This is especially important on high speed roads such as dual carriageways and motorways where there is increased danger of aquaplaning;
- Take special care when driving behind goods vehicles as they generate a considerable amount of spray which reduces your visibility, hold back to where you can see their mirrors;
- If the road ahead is flooded choose another route, do not attempt to drive through it. Flooded roads that appear shallow could be deeper than you think. The verge may have subsided and there may also be trees or branches that have fallen that may not be visible;
- Do not bypass Road Closed signs – the road ahead is unsafe, the damage may be hidden beneath water, and you may be putting your life at risk. Road users should always follow recommended routes and obey signs closing roads to traffic that have been put there by the local council or An Garda Síochána;
- After going through water, drive slowly with your foot on the brake pedal for a short distance - this helps to dry the brakes;
- Drive with dipped headlights at all times.
