Flood alerts for Cork city and county

The New Year won’t bring any let-up in the stormy weather in the south of the country as flood alerts have been issued in Cork city and county.

According to Cork City Council, a tidal surge and strong south-to-south-easterly winds are expected over the next few days and may result in flooding.

Last year will go down as the year when road deaths increased again. Twenty eight more people died in 2013 than in 2012 and Road Safety Authority chairman Gay Byrne put the blame at the feet of the Government for not hiring more gardaí.

Last year was the first time since 2005, when 396 were killed, that the progress in road safety has been reversed.

The latest death was an 81-year-old woman who died in hospital following a collision in Co Mayo on Dec 23. She had been struck by a car as she crossed the Pontoon Rd in Castlebar. She died on Monday evening. Meanwhile, a 70-year-old pedestrian who was struck by a car at Carndonagh, Co Donegal, on Monday died in hospital yesterday. The driver of the car, a man in his 40s, was not injured.

Mr Byrne said road deaths were rising as there was a lack of enforcement of laws by the gardaí.

“There is a perception that during last year and in the previous 18 months, garda enforcement has gone down,” he said.

However Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said his comments didn’t hold up as garda numbers peaked in 2010 yet road deaths dropped in the following years.

He said road deaths were all about human behaviour and that it was “heads that needed to be policed”.

Meanwhile, residents and business owners are being warned to be vigilant in the following low lying parts of Cork city centre: South Terrace; Trinity Bridge; Rutland Street; Cotter Street; Stable Lane; Union Quay; Morrisons Quay, Proby’s Quay; French’s Quay; Crosses Green; Sharman Crawford St; Wandesford Quay; Lavitt’s Quay; Kyrl’s Street and Kyrl’s Quay, Coal Quay and Lapps Quay.

Also at risk are the South Mall; Oliver Plunkett Street; Pembroke St; Princes Street; Marlborough Street; Cook Street; Winthrop Street; Kennedy Quay; Centre Park Road; Monahan’s Road and Georges Quay.

Cork County Council also warned of flooding in Fermoy yesterday erecting flood defence barriers on the northern side of the town as flooding was expected on the southern side of the Blackwater. Drivers were also urged to drive carefully and to look out for fallen trees.

Across the country, a status yellow weather warning is in place meaning the weather doesn’t pose an immediate threat to everybody but only to those in exposed areas.