WHITEOUT!
ENNISCORTHY ON HIGH ALERT OF FLOODING FOLLOWING UNPRECEDENTED STORM WHICH SAW RECORD LEVELS OF SNOW FALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT
WHILE the thaw was good news in terms of clearing the roads around Enniscorthy, the huge concern to the fore in everyone’s mind was the potential for flooding.
In the past, when there has been snow, the thick white blanket in the Wicklow mountains melting has resulted in devastation for the town as huge volumes of water gush down stream and cause the river to burst its banks.
It was very much a case of ‘out of the frying pan and into the fire’ for Enniscorthy as numerous local business owners began to take precautions with one eye on the rising water levels. Speaking yesterday (Monday) afternoon, District Manager Liz Hore said that, while it is a cause for concern, it was not a pressing issue just yet and that the situation was being closely monitored by the council.
‘ The thaw hasn’t had a major effect yet,’ she said. ‘We are actively monitoring the Slaney, but the situation is that there is no risk at the moment. No immediate flood alert is in place at the moment and we are also looking further North to Tullow and, as of yet, they are not on alert either. We have had unprecedented levels of snow though, so obviously we will have to keep monitoring the situation over the coming days.’
Ms Hore says that, should the unthinkable happen, council staff are ready to spring into action.
‘What I would say is that our team in Enniscorthy is mobilised and will be ready to get out there with sandbags and signage. We have over 3,000 sandbags ready to go. The river was relatively low prior to the snow, so that’s a positive, however, we won’t really know any more until later in the week. The message for now is that Enniscorthy is not a flood risk right now, but if it becomes an alert, we will immediately notify businesses and homes in advance and I’d like to reassure the people of the town that we are ready to go.’