Serious concerns are being expressed this afternoon in the wake of Storm Desmond as the county’s rivers continue to swell.
The Shannon, Clare and Suck rivers are rising as crews struggle to contain the flooding across the county.
Serious concerns are now being expressed for the Claregalway region; the army is working in Portumna and Ballinasloe to hold back rapidly rising waters; and Craughwell remains completely cut off.
Galway saw 100mm of rainfall over the weekend – that means an entire month’s worth of rain hit the county in just 36 hours.
The Shannon, Clare and Suck rivers are all still rising steadily this afternoon – and the County Council is concerned that the next 24 to 48 hours could potentially see the situation dramatically dis-improve.
Claregalway is currently clear, but serious concerns are now being expressed for the next 24 to 48 hours as the River Clare continues to rise beyond peak levels in 2009.
Galway County Council says a real threat exists from Lisheenavalla to Abbert and towards Corofin and Abbeyknockmoy.
Local Roads at Lisheenavalla are already heavily flooded, although passable – and a number of houses in the area are now under threat.
The R339 between Carnmore Cross and Cossaun Cross is now closed, while the road between McHughs Pub and Ballindooley Cross has also been closed.
Severe flooding is being reported on the N18 between Labane and Ardrahan and the R351 between Woodford and Loughrea, while the R461 has been closed at Ballinakill.
Meanwhile, the struggle to get flooding under control in Ballinasloe is continuing this afternoon as the army assists council crews to clear water from the lower square in the town – which rose by 75mm overnight.
A boil water notice has been introduced after flooding caused contamination at the town’s water treatment plant – however, Irish Water says the plant itself was not damaged due to flood defences in place.
Red Cross crews were in Ballinasloe and its environs yesterday evening to distribute bottled water to residents as the boil notice took effect.
There are also fears of severe flooding in Portumna as the level of water in the River Shannon continues to rise following the weekend rain.
The army is on-site there as well, assisting council crews to sandbag roads and properties, and the council is warning that a serious threat exists to the town.
The N65 remains passable this afternoon, but water is gradually creeping over the road as the river continues to swell.
The Tynagh Road and R353 coming from Abbey are both closed, while a number of local roads are also experiencing serious issues.
There is significant flooding in the Kilconieron to Killtullagh area, with a number of local roads impassable.
Considerable flooding and local road closures are also being reported in the areas of New-inn, Castleblakeney, Ballygar , Kilcolgan, and Gort.
The R363 from Newbridge towards Ballyforan is closed at the bridge, while sections of the R357 remain closed also.
The N63 has been closed at Finns Cross, while the R347 from Annagh Cross to Palm Tree Bar has also been closed.
Craughwell village remains cut off due to the floods – gardaí say the village is completely flooded and will remain that way for a considerable time.
They’re diverting people travelling to or from Oranmore and Loughrea onto the motorway.
However, the County Council has indicated that it’s hoping the flooding in Craughwell will not dis-improve, and will shortly begin to subside relatively quickly.
Moving West, and the R336 from Maam Cross to Cashla and R341 west of Recess are both closed – motorists in the are being advised to use the N59.
Galway County Council advises that people should avoid any unnecessary travel, due to the severe flooding throughout the county.
If travelling is essential, it’s asking people to exercise caution, obey all signage and do not drive through any floods unless you can establish that it is safe to do so.
A full list of roads affected across the county can be found on the Galway County Council website at www.Galway.ie
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