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Seven Limerick properties flooded due to ‘extreme weather event’

Donal O'Regan, 27 Sep

THE COUNCIL has found no issues with the drainage network in Cappamore

after businesses and homes in the Limerick village were flooded.

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A total of seven properties were affected, earlier this month, after

“monsoon rain” in the area and across county Limerick.

The quick response of council staff and Cappamore firefighters

prevented more damage being caused.

A council spokesperson said the recent flooding in Cappamore was due to

an extreme weather event which involved high intensity rainfall over a

short duration.

“This caused localised flooding on Lower Main Street and Moore Street

in Cappamore. Seven properties in the village and the surrounding area

were affected by the localised flooding.

“Roads crews from Limerick City and County Council responded to the

flooding incident immediately on being alerted (on Sunday afternoon,

September 10).”

They continued: “Thereafter, the Cappamore roads maintenance team

carried out an inspection of the drainage network in the village and

found no issues.”

Cappamore was known as a flooding blackspot but locals thought those

days were behind them after a major flood relief scheme was put in

place around the village back in the 1990s.

Cllr John Egan said there was an awful lot of damage done and a big

clean-up ensued.

“One of the houses had never flooded before. There was at least a foot

and a half of water on main street. It flooded the sewerage system and

came up some toilets. It came in from the back too - just flowed in.

The damage done in some of the houses and businesses is ureal,” said

Cllr Egan.

[Screenshot_1-1694417484296.jpg--.jpg?1694417484344]

Main street of Limerick town flooded after thunderstorm warning

The Fine Gael councillor and farmer said the rain that fell in the best

part of half an hour was unbelievable.

“We had it in Boher. I never saw the likes of it before. There was

flooding in Doon as well, in Caherconlish it came down the main street

the same as a river. Newcastle West was badly hit too. It was

everywhere,” said Cllr Egan, who praised the council and fire brigade

for their fast response.

He said some people are blaming the work that was carried out during

the summer on a bridge in Cappamore but Cllr Egan doesn’t think the new

bridge was the cause of it at all.

“It was the heavy rain - it was monsoon rain,” said Cllr Egan, who

along with Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of

Public Works Patrick O’Donovan met with engineers the day after.

Cllr Egan called for a plan to be put in place to see how this could be

avoided in the future.

Fellow councillor, Martin Ryan was in the village when the flooding

happened and raised the alarm with council staff and Cappamore fire

station.

“I have never, ever seen Moore Street flooded and the water coming

around the corner and going down main street.

“The Mulcair Relief Scheme built around the village was done to prevent

the water coming from the river up onto the street but the night of the

flooding it was the opposite problem - it couldn’t get from the street

down to the river quick enough.

“It was coming so hard down Main Street the drains were not able to

take it away,” said Cllr Ryan.

The Fianna Fail councillor also complimented the response of council

staff and Cappamore’s firefighters.

“They were fantastic. It shows the importance of our retained

firefighters and how they need to be looked after the way they should

be looked after. They prevented more flooding of properties - they were

out with their pumps,” said Cllr Ryan.

The Cappamore councillor said it was freak flash flooding but there is

a job of work to be done in the event of it happening again to get the

water from the main street into the flood relief scheme built around

the village.

“It will need a joint effort with the Office of Public Works and the

council to come up with a plan to prevent it from happening again,”

concluded Cllr Ryan.