Floodwaters recede but transport disruption continues

Gardaí in the Dublin area this morning advised motorists to avoid all unnecessary travel due to severe flooding last night but also said flood waters had started to recede.

Met Eireann said its rainfall records for October have been “well and truly smashed” after the day long deluge.

About nine centimetres of rain fell at Casement Aerodrome to the west of Dublin - well above the average monthly total for October.

Rainfall for the month of October is normally about 69mm.

Met Eireann said the rainfall total so far this month rose to 157mm – four times more than for the whole of October last year.

Meanwhile, more chaotic scenes were expected this morning on some of the roads around Dublin, as many remain impassable.

"Flood waters have now by and large receded overnight," gardaí said in a statement.

"However we continue to encounter flooding in the following areas: Parnell Road, Harolds Cross Road, Wolfe Tone Quay, Belgard Road, Strawberry Beds, N11 at UCD."

Gardaí said that the main arterial routes are now open but driving conditions are challenging.

Local authorities are currently working to clear debris and obstructions.

Public transport has also been hit with the Green line service of Dublin's Luas running from Bride's Glen to Balally only.

Dublin Bus is warning of problems of some of its services while Iarnród Éireann says its running a full service this morning with delays on some routes.

Dundrum Town Centre was also closed today after the ground floor was flooded last night.

"Last night, as a result of unprecedented volumes of rain, the river Slang in the Dundrum area burst its banks and created a surge of water to flow through the ground level of the Centre," said a spokesperson.

"Thankfully our contingency plans were swiftly implemented by the team at Dundrum."

Power was also cut at the Courts of Criminal Justice in Parkgate Street due to damage caused by floodwater.

A Courts Service spokesman said no cases would be heard there today.

“Other venues are being explored for the hearing of custody and bench warrant cases etc,” he said.

“It is anticipated most cases will be adjourned to other dates.”

The principal response agencies dealing with the flooding in Dublin were holding talks this morning.

Dublin City Council,South Dublin County Council, the HSE and Gardaí were to discuss the situation in a conference call.

A coordination centre is still in place at Dublin Fire Brigade headquarters at Tara Street Fire Station.

A spokesperson for the city council says many of the flood waters have abated and this morning's meeting will decide what their next actions will be .

He said every available resource is being directed to the flooding situation.

A crisis management team which was on hand right through the night is still in place and a customer service centre is also still being manned manned to take calls from the public.

Civil Defence personnel have also been deployed to deal with the emergency.

Members of the public are reminded there is still a very high demand on the emergency ervices and they are asked only to dial 999 in the event of a true emergency.

Anyone being evacuated is also being reminded to ensure that they remember to bring their medication, if needed.

An Post says mail services in the Dublin area will also be disrupted as a result of the flooding after the area where the Clondalkin Mail Centre is located was badly hit.

Every effort is being made to minimise disruption but services in Dublin city, county and surrounding counties are expected to be affected today.