A Government taskforce is to meet again today to discuss the response to floods that the south, west and midlands that have blocked roads, damaged houses and businesses and interrupted water supplies.
Water supplies to over 18,000 householders in Cork cityare unlikely to be restored for at least a week following extensive damage to the city's main pumping station, Cork City Manager, Joe Gavin has warned.
The entire northside of Cork city and a section of the southside remain without water supplies after the River Lee flooded the pumping station on the Lee Road early on Friday morning, resulting in the station being submerged under several metres of water.
The flooding forced Cork City Council engineers to shut off connections to the water supply network of the city to prevent contaminated flood water entering the system and a series of emergency supplies have been set up to supply the northside and parts of the southside.
Mr Gavin said yesterday he was reluctant to give a specific date for the restoration of supplies as City Council engineers are still waiting to assess the damage to the Lee Road pumping station but that the best case scenario at the moment was that supplies would be restored next weekend.
"It's very difficult to say when it will be restored because of the situation that has resulted from the flooding where the entire treatment plant has been submerged under several metres of water - something like that has never happened before," he said.
"We're dealing with an totally unprecedented situation. Our staff are working flat out at the moment trying to get the water removed from the plant and then trying to dismantle the pumps and then assemble them again and get them working.
"We don't want to say exactly when it will be up and running again but it will be certainly a number of days - we don't see it functioning again until the end of the week and the earliest would be next weekend - that's our best guestimate."
Mr Gavin said that virtually all the northside of the city is without water and several schools on the northside have already closed and he urged any school in the city without water to close until water supplies are restored.
Mr Gavin was supported in this by HSE South Director of Public Health, Dr Elizabeth Keane who said it would be unsafe for any school to continue to operate without a water supply for sanitation purposes.
Cork City Council Director of Service Environment, Gerry O'Beirne confirmed that city council is continuing to take water from the Inniscarra pumping station eight miles from the city and relay it through a reservoir at Chetwynd near Bishopstown.
This supply is enabling the City Council to maintain supplies to house in both the south east and the south west of the city but a central section of the southside is served by the Lee Rd pumping station and this area is without supply along with the northside, he said.
Mr O'Beirne said the council had succeeded in utilising an old mains to pipe water from the Glashaboy reservoir near Glanmire to reconnect the city centre island and out as far as lower Blackpool but pressure problems has prevented the supply being restored to higher areas.
But Mr O'Beirne stressed that any houses in Cork city that are currently receiving water from their taps are receiving good quality water and while they may have minor problems with pressure and colour, it suitable for both drinking and sanitation purposes.
The council had put in place a series of ten emergency supply points for areas without water including five fixed standpipes as well as relay of tankers at Blackpool, Ballyvolane and Hollyhill Shopping Centres and St Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital in Gurranebraher.
Meanwhile, homeowners and businesses in the south, west and midlands are bracing themselves for more heavy rains this afternoon and this evening, after some of the worst flooding in living memory.
Met Eireann has forecast heavy and persistent rain for today which will spread nationwide and lead to more flooding. It expects the rains to ease this evening.
Eircom said today it has restored services to 20,000 households who had their phone lines damaged by the floods. However, it is working to restore services to 4,700 customers in West Cork, County Galway and County Clare.
AA Roadwatch said a number of roads still remain impassable, particularly around Cork city and county. These include the Hospital Cross Road to Lisgriffin near Mallow.
In Cork the Western Road, Carrigrohane Straight and Lee Road in the city remain closed while Victoria Cross is impassable. In west Cork the Cork to Bantry Road remains blocked at Bandon.
The full cost of the floods, which left parts of Cork city under water for the first time in more than 50 years, is likely to be more than €100 million. This would top the record €98 million cost of flooding in August 2008.
Massive damage was caused all along the western approach to Cork city centre, after flood waters surged, following the release by the ESB of a large volume of water from Inniscarra Dam eight miles from the city. The ESB said today water levels behind the dam have fallen overnight.
The action resulted in a huge wash of water flowing down towards the city with the north channel of the river bursting through the quay wall at Grenville Place and flooding the ground floor of the Mercy University Hospital.
Fears of water pollution have resulted in boil notices being issued in parts of counties Cork and Galway.
The N17 Galway to Tuam Road remains impassable at Claregalway today. Dublin to Galway traffic can use the temporarily opened M6 which bypasses Ballinasloe and Craughwell, both of which are flooded.
In Ballinasloe, around 200 people who were evacuated with the help of the Defence Forces, Garda Síochána, Civil Defence and volunteers after the river Suck burst its banks, have not been able to return to their homes. A boil water notice remains in place for Ballinasloe and reports today say while flood waters have receded, the situation has not improved.
Army staff have been transporting residents in Ballinasloe who need to reach the town centre, and Galway West TD Frank Fahey has called for Defence Force assistance in Claregalway, which has been flooded since Thursday night when the Clare river burst its banks.
Among the worst affected areas were, Craughwell, Gort, Claregalwayand Athenryin Co Galway, Abbeyknockmoyand Athleagueon the Galway-Roscommon.
Council officials have also warned of the risk of costal flooding due to high tides this evening. Irish Farmers Association president Pádraig Walshe visited Co Galway yesterday to inspect the flooding.
In Clonmel, County Tipperary, the flood waters are receeding although a number of streets remain impassable.
The town of Ennis, Co Clare has also suffered severe flooding although the council said this morning the town centre is now free of water. However, motorists are being advised not to come into the town unless absolutely necessary. The council also says it is monitoring water quality.
More than 100 households have been evacuated in the town and are being accommodated in hotels.
The Taoiseach said last night “the immediate priority for Government is to ensure that shelter is available for those people who have been displaced from their homes and to arrange for the provision of emergency supplies of safe drinking water where systems have been damaged.”
People were being put up in hotels and with neighbours and relatives although councils in Cork and Galway are now examining longer term accommodation.
Siptu said today members in the Clare, Cork City and Galway local authorities have deferred strike action planned for Tuesday because of the need to tackle the damage caused by floods on Tuesday.