ENNIS has so far escaped the brunt of Storm Brigid, however town manager Ger Dollard has warned, “the danger has not passed.”

He outlined that river levels are in the “red zone”, with a high risk of flooding still in place. And he urged members of the public to remain vigilant as stormy weather conditions are expected to continue.

The town manager was speaking at a meeting of Ennis Town Council this week where he pointed out that the town’s flood defences have been working well. “Despite the very heavy rain and high tide Ennis has performed exceptionally well over the last number of weeks,” he said.

He outlined that there have been major improvements to flood defences in recent years with a number of works carried out at various locations including the Gort Road Flood Relief Scheme. While work on phase 2 of the Ennis Flood Relief Scheme continues. And he stated that since the flooding of 2009 the monitoring and management system for flooding has been improved. He acknowledged the work of council staff, some of whom volunteer to analyse patterns and data regarding flooding levels.

“Last week even before Met Éireann we had our weather warning to ensure Ennis was managed and managed well,” he said as he complimented town engineer Eamon O’Dea and staff.
However he went on to say that river levels remain high and with more rain forecast the council remains on alert. “We will continue to manage this and manage it as best we can. But the danger has not passed,” he said. Members of the council voiced their satisfaction that the town’s flood defences have been performing well in protecting Ennis.