Relentless downpours threaten to ruin homes
Worse still on way as water levels rise to danger levels
Tony and Freda Hegarty at their home in Ballygall Crescent, Finglas, Dublin, which suffered flood damage last night
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'DUBLINERS looked on helplessly last night as hours of torrential rain pushed flood waters towards their homes -- while roads were again blocked.
Many were fearing a repeat of Saturday night when relentless rain swamped their homes. But the feeling among the residents of Ballygall Crescent in Finglas East was one of being abandoned.
Noeleen Bolger looked at the flood waters surging towards her hall door. "We feel let down. No one will speak to us on the telephone. We have been let down by the Council and public representatives. Nobody will even give us advice."
Their heroes were the firemen, who -- knee-deep in flood water and sewage -- fought to clear drains.
After Saturday's deluge, two feet of water swept through Ms Bolger's two-storey terrace home. The water came within feet of her hall door last night. As firemen began working on shores the water level began to slowly subside.
Then the skies opened again. And still there was no help on the ground from the City Council.
No one was available from the council for comment last night on any action plan for hard-hit city areas.
The residents found themselves on their own shortly before 9pm after firemen had to pull out. "We are standing guard. We cannot understand why no one will help us," said Ms Bolger.
They were given just one piece of advice if the rain continued. "We were told if the water rises again we will have to lift the manholes ourselves."
The north side of the city was the hardest-hit area of the capital yesterday. Locales particularly badly affected were Howth Junction, Griffith Road and Dunsink Drive.
Other areas hit included Botanic Avenue in Drumcondra, Howth Junction, Dunsink Drive, Griffith Avenue, Old Swords Road, Eglinton Road in Donnybrook and the M50 southbound at Junction 5 Finglas.
Flood waters also closed the N3 at Blanchardstown in both directions. Motorists were warned not to drive through flood waters.
The N3 was closed between the two exit slips which access Blanchardstown Town Centre -- Snugborough and Mulhuddart Interchanges. Gardai and Fingal County Council emergency crews arrived to help at the scene.
The R173 Carlingford to Newry Road was also flooded and impassable last night.
But there were fears that the worst is yet to come. The country is bracing itself for the threat of nationwide flooding amid fresh warnings of torrential rainfall this weekend.
Swollen
With many Irish rivers already swollen due to heavy rainfall, concerns have mounted over the looming flood threat, with an Atlantic depression promising further downpours over the next five days.
Britain is already on full flood alert, with the Rivers Avon, Severn and Ouse swollen to their high-water limits.
Concern here is focused on Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Limerick and Cork, where flash floods have struck over the past three weeks.
Newcastle West, in Co Limerick, is still assessing the repair and clean-up costs of recent flash floods -- while Mallow, in co Cork, hit twice by flooding over the past eight months, is bracing itself for the renewed threat of floodwaters this weekend.
The most at risk areas are those near the rivers Blackwater, Lee, Liffey, Shannon and Suir -- as well as their major tributaries -- with fears rising that they cannot absorb much more rainwater.
The nationwide flood-damage cost is already estimated at more than €40m and concerns are mounting that this weekend could inflict further damage.
- Brendan Farrelly and Ralph Riegel
