Flooding fears return for local businesses
HEAVY RAIN SWAMPS TEMPLESHANNON QUAY
Heavy rain floods Templeshannon Quay.
ENNISCORTHY was given an early season warning of the town's vulnerability to flooding as water swamped Templeshannon Quay on Monday afternoon.
With drains unable to cope with the volume of rain coming from heavy grey clouds, shopkeepers feared the worst as traffic was reduced to a crawl by the rising tide.
As plans for a €30million flood protection scheme sit on a desk at the Office of Public Works, council workers were mobilised in response to a call from concerned Bus Stop shopkeeper Anne Swaine. They dealt unblocked the overflowing drains and rectified the problem within an hour of being notified.
'It was a bit of a flash flood, a bit of scare,' commented auctioneer Frank McGuinness whose offices are in the neighbourhood. 'No-one saw it coming.'
He expressed thanks to the workers who came to the rescue at such short notice. Gardaí were informed of the problem but did not attend the scene and no traffic diversions were put in place.
After weeks with little rain, the Slaney was swollen on Friday in the wake of overnight rainfall followed by a monsoon like downpour around lunch time. Among those keeping an eye on the rising river was Harry O'Connor of the Slaney search and rescue organisation.
He has questioned the need for lining the riverbank with large walls as is being considered by the Office of Public Works and pointed out that wall would have done nothing to prevent Monday's episode.
Instead he feels that deepening the channel is the answer: 'Dredge it and there would not be a bother in the world.'
No sand-bags were put in place and business continued as normal throughout the short lived flood.
- DAVID MEDCALF
