WATER CHAOS; HOMES AND ROADS FLOODED IN DELUGE.
Byline: GARRETH MacNAMEE news@irishmirror.ieCOMMUTERS faced chaos yesterday morning as a deluge flooded some of the country's busiest roads.
Dozens of crashes were reported as motorists struggled on the school run and en route to work.
People were already bracing themselves for the worst as forecasters expected more than 35mm of rain to fall on Sunday night.
Road Safety chiefs previously warned drivers to slow down and take extra care but accidents still meant a huge backlog on our roads.
Public transport users were also left in the lurch, with Dart services only running between Greystones to Dalkey and Howth to Malahide in Dublin.
This was due to Sandycove station bearing the brunt of heavy downpours but bus services accepted rail transfers for valid tickets. Dublin Bus users were also caught off guard with many routes forced to change as roads became impassable due to the washout.
Crashes were widespread yesterday morning as commuters struggled to get to grips with the challenging conditions.
But collisions were not isolated, with accidents ranging from Dublin to Wicklow, Wexford, Cork and Waterford.
Cork is usually one of the worst-affected counties when the country is struck by heavy downpours and they didn't get off lightly this time around.
Motorists there were told to avoid the road between Fermoy and Ballyhooley as well as the road between Mitchelstown and Araglin.
In Wexford, up to 19 homes were flooded in King Street.
It was one of the worst-affected areas in the town with the chaos bringing back memories of the early 70s when residents were constantly hit with flooding.
Also in the town, a perimeter wall at the end of Davitt Road collapsed.
The road at Carcur was impassable for a period, while some residences in Newlands, a housing estate on the fringe of the town, also flooded.
Farmer Liam O'Byrne, from Churchtown, Kilrane, Rosslare, feared for his proprety when culverts overflowed, He said: "For a period I feared my home was going to be flooded but luckily this was avoided. The roads have been raised but the culverts have not been deepened and are unable to cope with the surface water."
AA Roadwatch urged road users to continue to observe safety rules, claiming that although the rain had stopped, danger remained.
Speaking on driving in the dodgy conditions, an AA spokesman said: "Only drive through water if you know it's not too deep for your car.
"If you have to drive through water, drive through the centre of the road as that is the highest point - but only when it's safe to do so."
The weather outlook for the rest of the week doesn't look too bad with Met Eireann reporting clear skies for most of the east coast and midlands until Thursday.
The rest of the country will experience scattered showers.
car. The roads have been raised but the culverts have not been deepened LIAM O'BYRNE
CAPTION(S):
DUBLINDUBD LINBL DUBLIN Vehicles negotiate floods near Lucan yesterday
SMASHED J A collapsed wall at Summerhill Road in Wexford town
WEXFORDWEXFORD WEXFEXFXFORDRDRD The Fire Service clears water from a house in the town's King Street
SODDEN J Gemma Coughlin surveys the damage to King Street home
TREACHEROUS n A car makes its way through flood water in Wexford town
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| Publication: | The Mirror (London, England) |
|---|---|
| Date: | Nov 27, 2012 |
| Words: | 545 |
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