Storm Francis brings further flooding
Storm Francis brought further heavy rainfall and flooding to many parts of the county last night as fire and road crews battled to clear flood water.
The second storm to hit Cork in less than a week caused extensive flooding in Bantry, submerging parts of The Square, New Street, Barracks Street, Bridge Street and Main Street, and resulting in damage to close to 50 properties.
The flooding is understood to be the result of prolonged intense rainfall in an already saturated ground. Flood waters have since receded.
This morning the BantryBusiness Twitter page tweeted: “The businesses of Bantry are devastated, yet more cost landed on them.”
Major flooding also occurred in Bandon where intense localised downpours between 11pm and 3am resulted in significant flooding at Brady’s Lane and Bridge Street.
Initial investigations suggest that this was due to the large amount of rainfall that occurred over a short period of time which overwhelmed the collection network.
TD for Cork South West Christopher O'Sullivan tweeted this morning: “West Cork is under water again. This time Bandon in the east of the constituency and Bantry in the West have been hit worst. The Bandon Flood Relief Scheme is in its final stages. However, hearing reports of pumps not functioning being the source of the problem.”
Flooding also took place at Dunmanway, Rosscarbery, Connonagh, Clonakilty, Drimoleague, Leap, Ballydehob, Passage West and Youghal.
Cork County Council has asked all road users to exercise extreme caution while crews continue to clear a number of roads affected by the flooding.
Drivers are warned to look out for fallen trees, spot flooding and debris.
Members of the public are advised to stay high, stay dry and stay away from coastal areas, rivers and lakes as strong gusts and high waves are predicted.
According to Met Éireann’s latest update, Cork can expect very windy and stormy conditions today as Storm Francis crosses the country, with winds reaching mean speeds of 55 to 65km/h.
Response crews and contractors are on standby today as a yellow rain waring remains in place for all of Munster until 7pm.
Cork County Council's Crisis Management Team convened this morning to review the situation and will continue to monitor this weather event.
Council crews are currently being redeployed from other areas of the county to assist with the clean-up operations in those areas most severely impacted.
Issues such as fallen trees, flooding and road damage should be reported to the relevant local area office during working hours.
Contact details for the council’s area offices are available at corkcoco.ie or by contacting Cork County Council Headquarters on 021-4276891.