Car Tourismo Banner
Home » Tag Archives: flooding (page 2)

Tag Archives: flooding

Yet another hurdle for Clare community’s flood relief scheme

FLOOD relief works that were due to begin in Springfield, Clonlara next week, have hit yet another hitch, it was revealed to council members last Monday (May 10). The matter was raised by Councillor Michael Begley who ask officials for the revised completion date for the works, which were first mooted in 2016. The works, which are designed to finally remove the risk of severe flooding that has hung over the area for more than a decade-and-a-half, had already been dealt a blow by pandemic restrictions. There had been widespread relief at the prospect of them finally getting underway. “We’re now waiting for two reports,” Councillor Begley noted, at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council. “One of those is from the hydrologists and the other will come from the consultants thereafter.” Chief Executive Pat Dowling noted that the latest obstacle to the works is “quite new”. “A particular matter has arisen,” he said “We have to await the outcome. …

Read More »

No end in sight for Kildysart Cemetery flooding

LAND acquisition issues stand in the way of a long-term solution to flooding at the cemetery at Kildysart, members of the West Clare Municipal District have been told. At the most recent meeting of the district committee, Councillor PJ Kelly tabled a motion calling on the council to draw up a plan to solve the ongoing issue. The council’s official response, however, has cast doubt on the possibility of a solution. A written reply from Steve Lahiffe, Senior Executive Engineer (SEE) at the Project Management Office, outlined how lands required to build an embankment currently stand in the way of a successful outcome. “This is very sad situation,” Councillor Kelly said. “It’s very upsetting for people because the graveyard is prone to flooding. People go there to pay their respects to their relatives and it’s very emotional for people to find that graves are under water. I would like if the council could be more humane and do something to …

Read More »

Flood-hit Residents Are “living in hell”

FLOOD-hit residents in South-East Clare are “living in hell” and are “living in fear” of more flooding, a local Dáil deputy has claimed. The devastation caused to several households and farmlands in Springfield, Clonlara was highlighted in the Dáil this week by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne when she presented a case for the establishment of one single body to manage the River Shannon. Commenting on the River Shannon Management Agency Bill, Deputy Wynne warned flooding is becoming too regular and must be tackled with timely action rather than “more kicking the can further down the road”. Last February, she recalled several households and farmlands were destroyed or severely impacted due to flooding in South-East Clare. “One man in Clonlara was quoted as saying “I am living in hell”. For him it has become a very common life event. While many people have commented on the ways we can tackle flooding along the River Shannon, I believe that one of the most …

Read More »

Action needed on ‘outrageous flooding’ in East Clare

“OUTRAGEOUS flooding” on land and roads in East Clare was discussed with council officials at the most recent meeting of the Killaloe Municipal District. Cathaoirleach, Councillor Pat Hayes tabled a motion proposing a planned programme of drainage works for the River Grainey and its catchment area. “We need to take the bull by the horns on this,” he said. “The river is 40 to 50 miles long and the lack of drainage is now coming home to roost on the roads around Feakle and Tulla, especially around the likes of Derrynahila. I have called previously for a single authority to deal with drainage. Some good work has been done in the past, but not for a long time on the River Grainey. If we don’t act we’ll end up having to raise the roads in places like Ayle, Core and Caher.” The Fianna Fáil members pointed out that the River Grainey is also an important amenity in terms of recreation …

Read More »

Status Yellow weather warnings for Clare

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow wind and rain warning for Clare and a number of other counties as Storm Francis moves in over the country tonight. Weather warnings in place for strong winds and heavy rainfall from Monday evening into Tuesday. The public are advised to exercise caution on exposed areas including along the coast. As consequence of Storm Francis moving into the South West, Met Éireann are forecasting that weather will turn very wet and windy early this evening with some torrential downpours and possible flooding. This weather is forecasted to continue into Tuesday as Storm Francis crosses the country with further heavy falls of rain and the continued risk of flooding. Very windy or stormy conditions are expected on Tuesday and southwest winds veering westerly, reaching mean speeds of 55 to 65km/h, will bring widespread severe gusts of 90 to 110km/h. Some disruption is likely with possible structural damage.  

Read More »

Status Orange wind warning for Clare

Met Eireann has issued a Status Orange Wind Warning for Clare and six other counties as Storm Ellen tracks in over the country tonight and during Thursday bringing a period of potentially damaging winds. Severe gusts are likely and there is a risk of some disruption. Due to the combination of storm surge, spring tides and onshore winds there is a potential risk of coastal flooding. The weather warning is valid from 9pm tonight until 12 noon on Thursday. The warning covers other coastal counties of Mayo, Galway, Limerick, Kerry, Cork and Waterford.

Read More »

Coastal flooding could hit 13.3% of Clare addresses by 2050

GAMMA Location Intelligence, which provides map and data analysis to insurance companies and local authorities for risk assessment purposes, has revealed that 7,376 Clare homes and 1,320 commercial premises are at heightened risk of coastal flooding by 2050, due to climate change. In absolute terms Clare would be the county with the third highest amount of addresses affected,behind Louth and Dublin, but in terms of the proportion at risk it would be second highest, at 13.3%, only behind Louth. The findings are based on a predicted global temperature increase of two degrees celsius. This increase would cause sea levels to rise and bring about more extreme weather events, leading to higher and more frequent coastal flooding. Richard Cantwell, Senior Spatial Data Scientist, Gamma Location Intelligence, said: “Global warming is already having an impact on our daily lives, but the effects of it will become more tangible and extreme in the years to come. “With increasing global temperatures, sea levels are …

Read More »

Limerick to Ennis rail service back on track

The railine between Limerick and Ennis reopened from first service this Tuesday morning. The line had been closed since late February due to flooding at Ballycar in Newmarket-on-Fergus.  Iarnród Éireann is advising customers that due to Covid-19 a revised timetable is in place and only essential travel is permitted. For those who must travel, they should check www.irishrail.ie before travelling for times. The railway track at Ballycar Lough has flooded on a number of occasions in recent years. This flooding has led to temporary closures of the railway line for extended periods of up to 20 weeks at a time, although this closure was not as prolonged. Flood waters rose to a maximum height of 1.6 metre above the railway track during some flood events, despite works, which saw Iarnród Éireann  raise the track level by 60 centimetres at Ballycar in 2003 to mitigate against the effects of flooding. This time flood waters reached 1metre above the track. Work is ongoing on …

Read More »