Emergency response team on alert for Storm Frank

Cork City’s emergency flood response team was on standby last night after the ESB warned that discharge rates from the Inniscarra Dam may hit their highest levels yet this winter.

As Storm Frank bears down, and after several hours of sustained heavy rainfall, the ESB confirmed it was increasing the dam discharge rate from 180 cu m of water per second to 200.

That is 20 cu m per second higher than the top discharge rate during the peak of Storm Desmond, when the 180 cumecs discharge rate was maintained from December 6-12. This led to extensive flooding of agricultural land next to the River Lee downstream of the dam, and of the Lee Fields and Lee Rd.