Elderly couple rescued as Hurricane Bill nears
The alarm was raised shortly after 11am yesterday, when the couple, both in their late 80s, awoke to find their home in Dromore, Co Clare, filled knee-high with water after a downpour overnight.
Several areas of the county were badly affected by the rainfall, which meteorologists have said is linked to a hurricane expected to hit Irish shores over the coming days.
With its eye set firmly on the Irish coast, the first serious weather concern of the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season is blustering our way.
After a wet and wild weekend, Hurricane Bill is expected to hit our shores sometime tomorrow evening, ridding itself of about half an inch of rain before lunchtime on Wednesday.
The country has already been badly hit by the change in weather, with motorists in the north-west being urged to beware of flooding as heavy rains and driving winds battered the region last night. Warning signs were erected across Donegal and for a while there were fears parts of Gweedore faced a repeat threat of the devastation caused to the village of Derrybeg by flash floods in June.
Repair work carried out after the last floods was damaged as a tributary of the Derrybeg River overflowed, while an adjoining road was under up to four feet of water and a one-mile stretch was impassable for about 90 minutes except by four-wheel drive vehicles.
Roads in north Clare were also severely affected, with the main N85 Ennis to Lahinch road closed for hours at Kilnamona, with gardaí diverting traffic through Corofin.
Motorists, however, found themselves in a worse situation when they encountered more serious flooding on the diversion route.
Up to two inches of rain fell in the south, west and north-west combined, with August festivities affected as a result.
At Cruinniú na mBád, the annual traditional boat festival in Galway, spectators waded through inches of water to buy ice-creams.
In Athlone, Co Westmeath, puddle-hopping proved more popular than hurdling at the community games finals in the Athlone Institute of Technology.
In Cork, Tour of Ireland cyclists had a lucky reprieve from the rain as they began the steep ascent of St Patrick’s Hill in the third and final stage of the race from Bantry to Cork city.
“It will give us some heavy rain for a while, about 25mm, but that is nothing compared to what fell on Sunday,” a spokesperson for Met Éireann said.
Like all good things, most bad things also come to an end and after a particularly wet August to date, when Hurricane Bill blows away, it should leave in its wake better, clearer weather.
This is cold comfort to British rower Peter Bray, who abandoned his record-breaking attempt for quickest Atlantic solo crossing due to being in the path of Hurricane Bill.
