Cork city flooding: A run-down of some of today’s weather impacts

Areas of Cork city were completely impassable today as a result of the severe weather brought on by Storm Babet.

Cork City Council said up to 100 council staff had been at 50 different locations preparing for the flood event and responding to various issues as they arose.

The council said that over the past three days, operations crews cleared gullies and trash screens at regular intervals.

Independent councillor Ger Keohane said that while every effort was made by city council outdoor crews to help alleviate the damage, more staff were required for such an undertaking.

“City council outdoor crew down here in Glanmire are fantastic but they need more staff just do to the basic maintenance of keeping the drains cleared and clearing the branches accumulating under the archways of bridges but it’s no fault of the council staff down here it’s just the lack of manpower.

“They cannot get enough outdoor crew to do the basic maintenance. That’s the problem.” Mr Keohane said that Glanmire was “under severe threat” with all low-lying areas affected by the flooding.

Residents of Copper Valley View were particularly affected, with about 25 to 30 homes badly flooded.

Fianna Fáil TD Pádraig O’Sullivan said: “I’ve been looking at stuff in the Glashaboy River in the last number of months that’s just not cleared out efficiently and I’ve no doubt that that exacerbated things, I’m not saying caused it, but it definitely doesn’t help.

“I generally think there needs to be a good, strong look at areas that are prone to flooding about how we keep and maintain our rivers and clean them. Today is pure rainfall and pure volume but it’s a general point to make”.

Sarsfield Hurling Club, who beat Midleton in the senior county final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday last, also felt the full effects of Storm Babet.

In a post on social media, the club said: “We will be forever proud of our Senior Team on Sunday and today Sars Hurling Club experienced heroism in the form of our pitch committee and volunteers.

“Although we wanted to ensure we could limit the damage to the club house we made the decision to open the 2 large gates (behind the bar area and at the end of the pitch).

“As a result, our main pitch essentially became a flood plain in order to relieve the flooding to the immediate Riverstown area, Orchard Manor and surrounding businesses.

“We won a county, lost a pitch but hopefully saved a part of the Glanmire community.” 

Elsewhere in the city, Blackpool Village was another area that was described by Cork City Council as “impassable” and was closed for a period of time before reopening shortly after 6.30pm.

Mick Moriarty, who owns the Baldy Barber, was abroad today but had been liaising with the manager of the business.

“Blackpool is very, very badly impacted today. My shop is closed. All the businesses are closed in Blackpool,” Mr Moriarty told The Echo.

“Thank God we had the barriers up so we’re ok,” he said, when asked about damage to the premises.

Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, Colm Burke, said his office had been in touch with Cork City Council to close the village to traffic.

“We were onto Cork City Council today about closing off the road because as cars were passing through the place they were pushing water up against doors of commercial premises, so in fairness it was closed off. The Fire Brigade came down there was well,” he said.

Mr Burke said Cork City Council and Cork County Council would need to be furnished with additional funding to carry out the necessary remedial work across the city and county.

“I’ve been onto ministers all day today about getting funding. 

“Cork City Council have a budget, but they don’t have the funding to do whatever remedial work will be required to be carried out and we need to get additional funding from Government for the city council and the county council,” he said.

In a joint statement later with his party colleagues David Stanton, Michael Creed, Tim Lombard and John Cummins, Mr Burke welcomed that assistance will be provided to communities to support those affected by the flooding in Cork and Waterford.

“We spoke with our colleagues, Ministers Simon Coveney, from Cork South Central and Minister Heather Humphreys to ensure that assistance can be offered as soon as possible.

“The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and Department of Social Protection have schemes which we believe need to be activated as soon as possible and our Ministerial colleagues immediately concurred with this and are offering as much assistance as possible,” the statement said.

In the city centre, South Terrace, and adjoining streets, were seriously impacted by surface water, as was North Mall and the South City Link Road.

Lavitt’s Quay, Popes Quay and Wandesford Quay in the city centre were also badly flooded.

Colleges such as Cork College of FET Douglas Street Campus and St Francis College in Rochestown were closed due to weather and road conditions and many schools had to contact parents to collect their children due to flooding.

Cork City Council said this evening that it had received reports of motorists ignoring road closure signs in the city.

“Our emergency services, including the Civil Defence, are working at full capacity to response to calls as they arise, please do not ignore signage and enter heavily flooded roads,” the local authority said.

City council added that while the weather will remain wet in the coming days, “tidal flooding is not expected”.