AN OFF-DUTY Garda was missing last night after being swept away by floodwaters in Co Wicklow.
A search for the garda was continuing late last night. He was reported missing around 7pm. The full details of the incident are not yet known but it is believed he was attempting to come to the assistance of a number of other people who were in danger during the freak weather.
He was travelling on a quad bike in an effort to guide people and traffic to safety and was somehow dragged into the water. A Garda spokesman confirmed emergency services were attending the scene of the incident at the Ballysmuttan Bridge, which traverses the River Liffey between Manor Kilbride and Kippure, in west Wicklow, close to the Sally Gap.
Meanwhile a major emergency was declared in Dublin at about 9pm as severe weather resulted in mayhem for commuters while homes and businesses had to deal with flooding. While rain affected most parts of the State the east was worst affected.
Dublin City Council, South Dublin County Council, Dublin Fire Brigade and the Garda were meeting late last night to discuss an action plan with houses in many parts of the city flooded, some with more than a metre of water.
Shannon airport was inundated with unscheduled flights last night as the bad weather in the east forced up to a dozen flights to divert.
While Met Éireann said the torrential rain of recent days has passed and a repeat of the flooding of November 2009 is not forecast, many motorists in Dublin last night had to abandon their cars.
All parts of the State have been affected by rain and high winds since last Friday. While the west experienced the worst weather over the weekend, it was the turn of the east yesterday, with Met Éireann reporting 89mm of rain (3½ inches) falling in Dublin in the 48-hour period between midnight on Saturday and midnight last night.
Flooding brought parts of the capital to a standstill, causing the cancellation of Dart, Luas and inter-city commuter trains.
All northern commuter services were cancelled and train services were only operating between Connolly Station and Lansdowne Road for a period due to flooding at Seapoint and Clontarf. Later Dart services were cancelled for the night.
Dundrum Shopping Centre was evacuated at 8pm due to flooding of 15cm on the ground floor of the centre causing damage to stock.
The flooding was caused by a nearby river overrunning into the centre, manager Don Nugent said.
There were reports of rivers including the Poddle and the Dodder bursting their banks with cars nearby under water and houses flooded.
The north quays in Dublin were closed by gardaí last night and motorists endured long delays as several major roads in and out of the capital were flooded for a time, most notably one lane of the M1 near Dublin airport, junction 13 of the M50, the N11 and N81 to Wicklow.