Water levels have dropped in east Galway and some roads were re-opened following the weekends torrential rainfall, but possible further heavy rainfall is expected and the Galway County Council remains on alert to meet any crisis which may arise.
On Wednesday water levels had dropped to the extent where a number of roadways could be re-opened and there were hopes the worst of the rainfall and flooding was over.
The bridge to Ballinalsoe was re-opened to single-line traffic while the bridge to Portumna was opened to local traffic, while previously impassable roads at Claregalway were accessible to motorists again.
However there are still problems and areas of concern. The N84 has had to take much heavier levels of traffic over the last week and the Galway County Council is concerned about its affects on the roadway.
According to county manager Martina Moloney, the N18 Gort to Crusheen road is still closed and will remain so for some time yet until the water levels go down. The alternative route is via Loughrea. She also said that the situation in the south Galway region in general is “still bad”, with some families evacuating their homes, while the flood remains, but that staff on the ground are “assessing the situation”.
Also Met Éireann has warned of the likelihood of heavy showers over the weekend and into early next week with even snow and frost likely as temperatures are set to plummet.
If this comes to pass it could set back any recent improvements, however the council is on constant alert and Ms Moloney says that it is equipped to meet the challenges.
“We can only deal with things as they come up but the council is still on alert,” she told the Galway Advertiser. “We are in constant contact with the OPW. We have an area of 1,300sq miles to cover but we are trying to ensure that all efforts are co-ordinated and the resources are deployed to where they are most needed.”
When the flood eventually subsides the major work of repairs, clean ups, and rebuilding will have to take place. Many homes have been flooded by up to three to four feet of water, leading to furniture, fittings, and property being ruined beyond repair.
Many roadways will have been damaged as well due to the flooding. The council is also making sure that bridges are safe where they have been reopened, and inspections will also take place on bridges that are still closed.
“The cleanup cannot happen until the water subsides, then we can evaluate the state of the roads and bridges,” said Ms Moloney. “Water supplies will also have to be examined. This is an unprecedented level of rainfall and the extent to which you can guard against something like this happening again is difficult to say. However what does need to happen is an assessment, with the OPW, of works that can be carried out to alleviate the worst affects of flooding to the greatest extent humanly possible.”
