It may not have been the worst storm flood of Galway’s medieval city centre, but residents, business owners and emergency workers all agree that Storm Debi was certainly one of the swiftest.
Videos circulating on social media show the entire southern portion of the city centre rapidly flood on Monday morning after storm-force onshore winds drove an exceptionally high tide over quaysides of the river estuary and canal basin already swollen with heavy rain.
City centre winds did not reach the ferocity which battered county areas such as Athenry, Clarenbridge, Oranmore, Kinvara and Claregalway. Gusts in built-up areas were strong enough to dislodge thick accretions of moss from high roofs, and scatter empty beer kegs around Quay Street. Some trees lost large limbs.
The entire city area shoreline from Barna through Salthill, South Park, the Docks, Deadman’s Beach and Ballyloughane received a pounding, with an angry sea hurling tons of gravel, pebbles, seaweed, fallen branches and even boulders onto beaches, through walls and railings, and smashing paved areas. Bent railings on Blackrock diving tower and pulverised concrete kerbing along the Prom indicates the ferocity of the Atlantic storm as it lashed Salthill in the early hours of Monday morning.
In the city centre, flood-prone property owners’ individual flood defences worked well in most cases, augmented by a well-organised distribution of sandbags. Despite best efforts however, the Advertiser noted sodden furniture and bedding being carried out of several homes along Long Walk and the Claddagh in the hours after the Red weather warning was lifted. Fifteen business owners around Spanish Arch and Quay Street were assessing damage to carpets, electrics, stock and fittings.
However areas of the city centre not normally prone to major storm floods, such as Dominick Street, experienced rain, drain and seawater rushing into cellars and groundfloor rooms. Monroe’s Tavern is understood to have been particularly badly flooded, and several groundfloor apartments in the Westend.
Bridge work
Local authority staff expressed concern about storm surges damaging Wolfe Tone Bridge which is currently undergoing a renovation. “Water passed in, and water passed out again,” said one relieved bridge worker. “We’re delighted.”
Further inland, flash floods swamped sections of Bothar na dReabh, the Tuam Road, and the Coast Road to Oranmore. Several low-lying local roads in the eastern half of the city were inundated. Although waters receded quickly, in some cases with the help of Fire Service pumps, concerns were raised that many of these areas do not have a history of serious flooding in recent memory.
The city centre clean-up by local authority staff was heroic, with Italian tourists staying at the Leonardo Hotel (formerly Jurys ) noting that by 10am nearly all evidence of the storm debris had been cleared from nearby roads. Three boats washed up onto the Claddagh Quay, ducks paddling acres of flooded football pitches at the Swamp, and seaweed hanging from lampposts provided visitors’ photo opportunities.
The new Claddagh playground may be closed for some time, as storm water undermined the foundations to play apparatus.
City council wardens and staff were deployed to the city centre by 9am, and the Advertiser spotted city chief executive Patricia Philbin and Mayor Eddie Hoare (FG ) visiting affected premises to share information about humanitarian grants available to flood victims.
At least 14 parked cars were badly damaged by floods along Dock Road, including hire cars belonging to foreign tourists bewildered by a lack of warning. At least 16 cars in Salthill’s Toft carpark beside Galway Atlantiqaria were flooded past window level, and the Advertiser noted several parked cars along the Prom lifted by storm surge and deposited on kerbs and flowerbeds.
In Ballyloughane, its prom was storm damaged, but the huge embankment of the Galway-Dublin railway line prevented storm water flooding into Renmore. Long-time resident Cllr Terry O’Flaherty noted: “In my lifetime it’s the first time I’ve ever seen the lower field flooded. It’s like a lake.”
Emergency services reported 10 storm-related rescues in the city and its environs. No serious injuries were reported. It is understood most call-outs were to road-users travelling during Met Eireann’s red alert. Galway Fire Station in the Claddagh experienced minor flooding, despite extra defences put in place.
Galway City Council staff were in regular contact with national emergency coordinators regarding Mutton Island waste water treatment plant, and no storm-related issues were reported. Similarly, the Council was in touch with the company running the Christmas Market in Eyre Square which ensured officials it had wind-proofed its kiosks and Big Wheel in advance of Storm Debi.
At a full city council meeting held only six hours after the worst of Storm Debi had passed, all council members and senior managers praised the efforts of frontline Council and emergency staff. The general consensus was that local and national emergency planning officials had learned from previous weather events in Galway city, with particular emphasis on rapid and efficient communication.
Concerns were raised about a lack of clarity of Met Eireann’s initial red warnings, which many people assumed were only for east County Galway and western sea areas.
Several questions went unanswered regarding a promised €10m flood defence scheme for Galway city promised by former minister Kevin “Boxer” Moran (Ind ) when he famously assisted handing out sandbags in front of cameras in a flooded Claddagh in January 2018.
