Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange Rainfall Warning, with very heavy rain forecast for Monday night and throughout Tuesday for Cork county, which is likely to cause further river and surface water flooding. Rainfall totals of 50 to 80mm have been forecasted, with higher levels in mountainous regions.
Given recent rainfall and with ground already saturated, this forecasted heavy rainfall will further elevate river and groundwater levels and may result in river flooding.
The ESB Hydroelectric dam at Inniscarra is currently releasing water at approximately 150 cubic metres per second. Cork County Council has been advised that the discharge will increase beyond this level and this is likely to lead to flooding of roads, land and property downstream.
Cork County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team convened this morning to finalise arrangements in advance of this weather warning. The Council is at its highest levels of preparation and has deployed crews to several known risk locations in all parts of the county.
Crews are currently clearing inlets and gullies across Cork County. Sandbags and pumping arrangements will be in place across several locations in known problem locations.
The Ross Road in Skibbereen will be closed in order to facilitate the opening of an inlet.
Flood barriers have been erected in Fermoy and Mallow with the early warning systems in place. The barriers have been erected to current levels which do not necessitate the requirement to close roads, but some parking spaces have been closed off to facilitate barrier erection.
This may change throughout the course of today in order to facilitate the erection of the flood barriers to their highest levels if required.
Cork County Council advises road users to exercise extreme caution as driving conditions may be hazardous with surface flooding possible or fallen trees and branches.
Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain. Motorists are also asked to be conscious of cyclists and pedestrians.
Cork County Hall will be closed to the public tomorrow, Tuesday, and potentially Wednesday on a precautionary basis due to the risk of flooding. This is due to the predicted rainfall and saturated land in the catchment area of the river Lee.
Property owners are advised to take precautions in low lying areas or areas susceptible to flooding.
Issues such as fallen trees, flooding and road damage should be reported to the Council’s Emergency Out of Hours number (021) 4800048.
In the event of disruption to power supply, please contact ESB Networks at 1850 372 999. Fallen or grounded wires should be avoided, and the public are advised call ESB in assisting with the identification of location of fallen wires.
In the event of disruption to water supply, please contact Irish Water at 1850 278 278.
Cork County Council will continue to monitor this situation and convene as required over the next 48 hours. The Council will provide updates on www.corkcoco.ie and on the Council’s social media channels @Corkcoco.
