Emergency staff rescue passengers from stricken bus

FIFTY passengers had to be rescued from a bus after it became semi-submerged in flood water that deluged a north Cork town.

Since early yesterday morning, Mallow had been bracing itself for the torrent, with shopkeepers and home owners in the centre of the town sandbagging their premises and moving valuables upstairs.

For many it was groundhog day. They had seen it all before, but usually in the middle of winter.

The last big flood hit the town last January.

Just before lunchtime yesterday Park Road had to be closed off to traffic as the River Blackwater burst its banks.

However, just before 2pm a Bus Éireann driver fancied his chances of making it through. The bus driver failed and the emergency services were to called to extricate his passengers.

Eoin O’Donnell, chief fire officer for North Cork, said: “We lifted out 30 of the passengers, but we had to take the other 20, who were older, to safety in an inflatable dinghy.”

The fire brigade were aided in the operation by a local unit of the Civil Defence.

About the same time gardaí had to cut Bridge Street off to traffic as the waters rose there.

Rosarie Bolster, who owns a hairdressing salon on the street, was working up until the last minute. She has seen countless floods in her premises and like others on the street can’t get insurance cover.

“As soon as I’m through here I’ll get out. We have no choice but to accept this,” Ms Bolster said.

Pat Walsh, the council’s area engineer, said only 20% of the Office of Public Work’s flood prevention scheme for the town had been completed, and as such that was not going to protect Mallow from the deluge.

“The works won’t finish until next spring. What’s been done are really only foundation works and wouldn’t reduce the impact. The retaining walls won’t go up until the end of this year, or early next year,” Mr Walsh said.

Gardaí brought in extra resources especially to help with traffic management. However, despite their best attempts there were significant tailbacks around the town at evening rush hour.

Meanwhile, 27km down river the town of Fermoy was last night bracing itself for a similar wetting.

Gardaí moved cars off the town’s quays, while businesses set about sandbagging doorways.

In North Cork, the Blackwater burst its banks resulting in farmland on either side of the river between Banteer and Mallow like “a sea of water”.

The riverside racecourse in Mallow was flooded leaving tomorrow’s meeting there in serious doubt.

“It is obviously unraceable at present, but the thing with Cork (Mallow) is the water can recede very quickly and it can dry up fast,” said Turf Club press officer Cliff Noone.