Flood-hit communities in Cork brace for more heavy rain

The main Cork to Waterford road remains closed on Friday due to flooding as civil defence teams continue to assist the residents of a beleaguered housing estate in Midleton in East Cork.

According to Midleton gardaí, the N25 between Cork and Waterford remains closed between Castlemartyr and Killeagh villages due to heaving flooding in a number of areas.

However, gardaí and Cork County Council are continuing to monitor the situation and local diversions are now in place via Mogeely village north of the main road.

According to Cork County Council, eastbound traffic can turn off at Castlemartyr along the L3805 for Mogeely where it can then turn right on to the L3809 to Killeagh to rejoin the main road.

Westbound traffic coming from Waterford can turn right at Killeagh on to the L3809 to Mogeely before turning back on to the L3805 to rejoin the main road at Castlemartyr village.

A Cork County Council spokesman advised motorists to expect delays on the diversion and he appealed to motorists to slow down and exercise caution on the secondary routes.

“Motorists should remember that Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling in both directions are also being diverted along this route so they should slow down and exercise extreme caution,” he said.

In Midleton town the civil defence teams are continuing to assist residents of the Lauriston housing estate to battle against flood waters after the Dungourney river burst its banks.

Householders have been able to protect their homes but access to the estate remains difficult to access with flood waters from the Dungourney river flooding the roads and many gardens in the estate.

In North Cork, the R666 between Fermoy and Ballyduff remains closed after a minor landslide between Geaneys Cross and Stable Cross but council staff are working to clear the debris.

In Cork city, gardaí and Cork City Council are liaising closely with the ESB as the agency continues to discharge water at a rate of 250 cubic metres per second from the Inniscarra Dam on the River Lee.

The ESB upped discharge rates to 250 cubic metres per second on Wednesday morning to create capacity in the Inniscarra reservoir in anticipation of heavy rain from Storms Frank and Gertrude.

The higher discharge rates has led to flooding in the Lee valley downstream of the dam including along the Lee Road and the Carrigrohane Straight, which led into the western side of Cork city.

But the low lying western reaches of the city such as the Mardyke, Western Road and Victoria Cross, which flooded in 2009, have so far remain unaffected by the higher than normal dam discharge rates.

In West Cork, the clean-up operation is continuing in Bandon town centre where over 60 premises and residences were flooded on Wednesday when water from the Bandon river came up shores.

Water levels in the Bandon have subsided for the moment and the main N71, which had been closed on Wednesday between Bandon and Innishannon, remains open to traffic on Friday.