Louth County Council’s Severe Weather Assessment Team continues to respond to ongoing weather conditions across the county.
Met Éireann has upgraded the Rain Warning for Louth to Status Orange. The warning is valid from 12pm on Thursday, 5 February to 6pm on Friday, 6 February.
Spells of very heavy rain falling on already saturated ground, combined with high river levels and high tides, are expected to lead to localised flooding, river flooding and difficult travel conditions.
Many rivers remain close to or above bank full levels. While most have receded from the peak levels observed last week, further heavy rainfall today and tomorrow is likely to trigger additional flooding given current ground and river conditions.
High spring tides today, combined with strong winds and coastal surge, may result in wave overtopping and coastal flooding in exposed areas. Elevated coastal water levels will also restrict river discharge, particularly during high tide.
The National Emergency Coordination Group has advised that the period from Thursday into Friday will be particularly challenging, with orange and yellow rain warnings in place nationwide. Significant rainfall is forecast for areas already impacted by flooding in recent days.
The group has also highlighted that heavy rainfall in one county can result in flooding in downstream areas of neighbouring counties due to river flows, even where rainfall levels are lower.
In Blackrock, high tide is expected at 1.40pm on Thursday, with tide heights of approximately 5.42 metres. For safety reasons, Main Street will be closed one hour before and one hour after high tide. A road sweeper will be on site to remove debris brought in by the sea. Motorists are asked not to park on the promenade during this period.
In Drogheda, flooding is likely at Wellington Quay during periods of high tide. Members of the public are advised to use alternative routes at these times.
Motorists are also advised to avoid Haymarket Bridge when approaching from the Donore Road, Dublin Road and North Road during high tide on Thursday, 5 February, between 11.30am and 2.30pm.
Pumping operations are continuing at the Blackwater River in Dundalk to increase capacity and protect nearby residential areas.
Flooding of rural roads adjacent to the Rivers Dee, Glyde and Fane is expected, with road closures planned where necessary.
Sandbags are available from Louth County Council depots at Bush, Town Hall Yard Dundalk, Dundalk Machinery Yard behind the Garda Barracks, Ship Street Drogheda, Wellington Quay Drogheda, Woodlands Depot, Ardee Civic Office Yard, Stockwell Lane Drogheda, North Quays Drogheda, Greenhills Drogheda and Baltray Drogheda.
Additional sandbags will be delivered to Carlingford before high tide on Thursday. Sandbags are also in place in areas affected last week, including Cluan Enda and Bay Estate in Dundalk. One tonne sandbags will remain in position on the N2 Drogheda Road in Ardee to divert surface water away from nearby properties.
During an Orange Warning, Louth County Council operations crews will carry out emergency works only, in line with the Council’s Storm Risk Assessment. All routine work will cease from 12pm.
Members of the public are urged to remain vigilant, watch for debris on roads, avoid floodwater and adhere to all signage relating to road closures.
People are encouraged to monitor weather updates from Met Éireann and to check the Louth County Council website and social media channels for the latest information on road closures, flooding updates and community alerts at www.louthcoco.ie
An Emergency Response Payment is available to support households whose homes have been directly affected by flooding. Affected households can access this support by contacting the Community Welfare Service on 0818 60 70 80. Further details on eligibility and how to apply are available at www.gov.ie/FloodResponse.
An Emergency Humanitarian Flooding Scheme is also open for small businesses, community, voluntary and sports organisations impacted by flooding. In recognition of the severity of recent events, the maximum payment under the scheme has been increased from 20,000 euro to 100,000 euro for the most affected premises. Eligibility has also been extended to organisations with up to 50 employees.
The scheme is administered by the Irish Red Cross on behalf of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, with full details and application forms available here.
