Homeowners expressed disbelief after more than a dozen homes in north Dublin were hit by flash flooding on Saturday.
Eight people were taken from their homes in Clontarf using inflatable rescue sleds and one person was taken to hospital, Dublin Fire Brigade said, after several 999 calls were received on Saturday. An underground car park at a block of flats was also flooded, with about 15 cars thought to be parked underneath.
Water appeared to still be up to the ceiling of the basement later on Saturday, as Dublin Fire Brigade and Dublin City Council continued working to pump it away.
Met Éireann had issued several warnings about heavy rain and strong winds as Storm Antoni moved eastwards across Ireland.
‘Like a tsunami’
People at the Castle Court Estate questioned whether drainage had an impact on the severity of the flooding, described as a “deluge” by one homeowner, who did not want to be named.
“It was like a tsunami, it just came in (at 9 o’clock), we’d no time to protect ourselves. (We) looked out the window, it was up to your ankle, next thing you know it was up to your knee,” she said. “We tried to save a few things, like photographs. But we couldn’t save most of the stuff.”
The woman said that there had been a similar flood more than 10 years ago, but it was not as bad as what hit on Saturday.
“This was terrible,” she said. “This literally exploded. The last time it happened, I think something up near the train station or past the golf club, there was supposed to be flood doors, and they didn’t open them.
“I don’t know whether they opened them this time or not. Somewhere back along the line they haven’t done what they’re supposed to do.”
A man whose relative owns one of the houses, and who did not want to be named, said it took about an hour to drain the water from the properties. “The freezer was on its back and it was full of water. The washing machine was half full of water. Carpets are all soaked,” he said of the damage inside.
A mark on the kitchen wall indicates the water rose to about 3ft in height at one stage.
“Within a half an hour, I heard,” he said. “I reckon that the cooker, anything that’s knee high, anything that’s electrical (is damaged).”
Brilliant response
Residents praised the “brilliant” firefighters and the council workers who responded to the incident.
In a statement, Dublin Fire Brigade said: “Operations are ongoing at the incident and firefighters from North Strand and Phibsborough fire stations are working with Dublin City Council crews alongside ESB network technicians.
“An apartment block basement remains flooded following the heavy rain overnight.”
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Other parts of Dublin were also hit by spot flooding overnight, including near the RDS and Ballyfermot. Dart services between Killester and Clontarf Road were suspended for several hours due to flooding.
There were also several power cuts across the country, with homes and businesses in Carrigaline and Crosshaven in Co Cork left without power on Saturday.
Cork music festival Indiependence issued an update to its Instagram page at 7am advising campers to stay in their tents if possible to ensure they were secure amid high winds. Waterford music festival All Together Now issued similar advice.
Met Éireann had issued a status yellow rain warning for counties Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Longford, Louth, Meath, Westmeath and Wicklow that was in place overnight until 11am on Saturday. A wind warning was also in place for several counties with a risk of falling branches and difficult travelling conditions.
The bank holiday weekend forecast suggests there will continue to be unsettled weather over the coming days.
Saturday night is forecast to bring clear spells and a chance of scattered showers. Sunday is expected to be a brighter day with a mix of sunshine and showers and highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees. Sunday night will be mainly dry with clear spells and just a few showers in the northwest.
“Cloud will thicken in the west and southwest overnight with patchy rain and drizzle developing towards dawn,” Met Éireann said.
Bank holiday Monday is to start off mainly dry but outbreaks of rain starting in the southwest will gradually spread eastwards over the southern half of the country. “There will be drier, brighter intervals further north. Highest temperatures of 15 to 18 degrees with light to moderate southerly winds.”
Further outbreaks of rain and drizzle are expected on Monday night, becoming lighter and patchier as the night goes on. Tuesday will also be mostly cloudy with further rain or drizzle, which will extend further north later with warm, humid conditions following from the south. – PA