Three people were hospitalised and more than 100 were evacuated yesterday from the Ringsend and Irishtown areas of Dublin, which were severely affected by the city's worst flooding in decades.
A major emergency plan was put in place by Dublin City Council, which mobilised the resources of the council, the Garda, Civil Defence, Army and Fire Brigade.
The Liffey was at its highest level since 1924, said Mr Michael Phillips, city engineer with Dublin City Council.
He said most of those evacuated by the Irish Coast Guard, many of them by boat, were last night staying with friends and relatives. Others were being housed in the Glanna Gael GAA club in Ringsend, said a spokesman for the Department of the Marine.
Those hospitalised are believed to be suffering from small injuries and hypothermia.
AA Roadwatch reported enormous delays and disruptions in the city centre as well as in several other areas along the coast.
The Dublin Coastguard helicopter and coastal unit as well as an RNLI lifeboat carried out a search of the coast at South End, Dalkey, following reports of a canoeist in difficulty. It was stood down early yesterday evening.
Worst-affected areas in Dublin were Irishtown, Ringsend, Clontarf Road, Merrion Gates, Strand Road, and the north and south quays. The flooding mostly affected areas around the mouth of the Liffey, said Mr Phillips.
The boardwalk along the Liffey's north bank was closed for safety reasons yesterday afternoon.
Mr Phillips said the River Dodder burst its banks at Ballsbridge, but further flooding in this area was prevented by adding sandbags. Most of the flooding had subsided by low tide at around 8 p.m, but flood water still remained lodged around East Wall Road, Ringsend and Irishtown. Emergency services were last night pumping out flood water from these areas.
About 500 homes may still be without electricity in Dublin this morning after the Liffey burst its banks and flooded sub-stations at Clontarf, Ringsend and East Wall, which distribute power to the local areas, said an ESB spokesman. The ESB, in consultation with the Fire Brigade, was last night considering cutting power in 700 homes in the city centre for safety reasons.
Traffic diversions were in place in the city centre. The East Link Bridge was also closed yesterday afternoon for about an hour due to flooding. The city council advised motorists to avoid the city centre and other affected areas. Bus lanes were opened up to traffic. Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus reported delays of up to two hours on their services yesterday.
The DART between Lans-downe Road and Dún Laoghaire was suspended for two hours, and the Inter City rail line between Greystones and Wicklow was closed for four hours.
Traffic was gridlocked in the city during rush hour yesterday evening, with delays on all routes out of the city. Motorists travelling from the north to the south of the city were advised to use the M50 which did not experience flooding.
The emergency plan was being controlled at Dublin City Council civic offices on the quays, with meetings continuing throughout last night.