We’re bracing ourselves for rising waters as rainfall continues.
Carlow and Kilkenny are under a status yellow warning until 9 o’clock tomorrow (Saturday, 15th November) with winds too from Storm Claudia, while neighbouring Wexford and Wicklow face into an orange notice from midday with Dublin.
But many areas in our locality are already water soaked from recent downpours leading to fears of flooding. (see how the river in your area’s doing via waterlevel.ie)
KCLR News’ Sinéad Burke’s been catching up with Inistioge based Kilkenny Councillor Michael Doyle;
Cllr Joe Lyons is in Callan where a pump failed earlier in the week;
Cllr Deirdre Cullen’s in Bennettsbridge and has details of where sandbags are available across Kilkenny;
While Chief Executive of Carlow County Council, Coilín O’Reilly, also touched on the topic while on The KCLR Daily earlier;
Keith Leonard, National Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management, said: “It’s important that people are aware of the potential conditions in their area. River and surface water flooding is expected in Leinster and Munster today and into the weekend, in part due to the recent rainfall earlier this week, which has led to saturated grounds and swollen rivers, combined with the heavy rainfall we are expecting.
“We are asking people to stay away from coastal areas during this period, avoid open riverbanks and canal paths in flood conditions, and to stay away from swollen rivers, streams and flooded riverbanks, where banks can collapse without warning. Flooding impacts can be very localised and specific, so be sure to heed any advice issued by the emergency services and your local authority.
“Drivers also need to be wary of potentially hazardous conditions in their area, so please slow down, increase your stopping distances and watch for surface water and debris on roads. If the road ahead is flooded, do not enter – turn around and find another route.”
Further public safety advice
- Do not try to walk through floodwater: Just a few inches of fast-moving water can knock you off your feet; deeper water can move a car
- Follow advice from emergency services and your local authority.
- Intense rainfall, even over a short period, may overwhelm urban drainage systems
- Avoid contact with floodwater where possible; it may be contaminated with sewage, chemicals or sharp debris.
- Farmers in affected areas are advised to move vehicles, machinery and livestock to higher ground before flooding arrives, where possible.
- People are advised to prepare for this period of severe weather, including ensuring their mobile phone is fully charged to enable communication.
- Monitor Met Éireann forecasts and/or visit www.met.ie/ for the most up-to-date information. Information is available across social media platforms and other news media sources.
- ESB Networks is highlighting the dangers posed by fallen live wires and is advising the public and the emergency services to stay away from these fallen cables and to report such cases to it immediately. ESB Emergency Services can be contacted at 1800 372 999. The public can monitor PowerCheck.ie in regards to power restoration times.
