More than €1 million worth of damage was caused to Cork homes and businesses yesterday by flash flooding which left areas in the city under almost five feet of water.
The worst affected area in the city was in the north-side suburb of Blackpool where staff at the local credit union ended up trapped on the third floor of their premises for much of yesterday morning.
The credit union manager, Mr Stephen Geary, said residents of Great William O'Brien Street were shocked that such major flooding could occur twice in the space of just six days.
"When I got here at 9 a.m., the river was about to break its bank. We lost all our computer systems in the last flooding so I went in to save them. The computer system has been saved but the downstairs is under six inches of water."
The credit union incurred an estimated €150,000 worth of damage following flooding on November 21st.
Meanwhile, a platoon of soldiers from Collins Barracks in Cork moved in to Blackpool yesterday to sandbag doorways of houses and businesses. The Army also transported elderly people to and from their homes using high wheel Army vehicles.
Cmdt Dan Harvey said 30 soldiers assisted with the flood relief in Cork city while another 100 were on stand-by because of fears that high tides would lead to rivers breaking their banks.
Soldiers also ferried dialysis patients from their homes to Cork University Hospital yesterday afternoon.
A number of motorists driving in Blackpool were forced to abandon their cars while a barber reported having to give one of his customers "a piggy-back" out of his premises.
A local chemist, Mr Aidan O'Shea, said members of the business community in Blackpool were devastated by the flooding, particularly in light of the fact that it happened so close to the holiday season.
"In my own case I have just had a complete clean-out of stock and I had all fresh stock on my premises. Now I have to face in to this horror again. My family has been in business in Blackpool since 1937 and I'm working here since the early 1960s and I have never seen anything like this."
More than a dozen cars were submerged in water which in places measured four feet.
Until seven days ago the last major flooding in Blackpool occurred in the early 1960s.
A Cork City Council spokesman said yesterday that flood relief works would be put in place in the area over the next year.
Meanwhile, the south-side suburb of Togher experienced "massive flood damage" for the second time in a week.
The local national school was closed yesterday to allow staff to carry out a mopping-up operation.
The school principal, Mr Jack Durkan, said the school was just starting to recover from the damage caused by last week's flooding.
The board of management at the school plans to erect a wall outside the building in an effort to keep water levels down in the event of flooding.
Among the worst-hit areas across Cork city and county were Turners Cross, Kinsale, Carrigaline, Riverstown, Glanmire and Ballinspittle.
Trains on the Cork-Cobh line were suspended and replaced with a bus service.
The Glashaboy to Glanmire road in Cork city was also closed after flooding caused a wall to fall.
Insurance companies are expected to be inundated with claims in the coming weeks.