Clare floods described as ‘complete mayhem’

By David Raleigh in Limerick City and South East Clare

Homes in South East Clare near the Limerick border are under water after the Blackwater River breeched its banks.

Shortly after 1pm a fierce swell came over the bank, which was previously raised by the office of public works to prevent flooding. In seconds the river swept through the back of several homes taking residents by surprise.

Neighbours and friends in Springfield near Clonlara are currently desperately trying to divert the river which is now running through the houses.

Local farmers are using diggers to dig channels and drains in the hope of protecting more homes downstream.

Caroline Micks, whose home once stood in the way of the river, and is now in the middle of it, said it was "complete mayhem".

"The bank behind the house here burst a little bit and the water was coming into then fields behind us, filling them up," she said.

Standing in her Wellington boots in several feet of water she added: "Then it swept through the fields and came back into the house, into the garden and down into the back of the garage."

"Within a few minutes the gardens were full and it was up to the house and that's it. I don't know after that," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"It is just mayhem around here at the moment."

She thanked her neighbours, who are also flooded, for racing to her family's aid.

"In fairness, you couldn't ask for better neighbours. There is a huge reaction and hopefully we won't be hit too hard."

She added: "The river is right behind us. It's burst in a few places and there's no holding it back at the moment."

"The worry is the weather is set to get worse," she said.

The mother of three added: "It happened in 1995, but a lot of work was done on the retention on the bank, but this is worse."

"I've never seen the river this high before. After the bank was raised, you'd imagine it would have retained the river, but there's no stopping it now. The bank was raised a few years ago by the Office of Public Works but the level is so high at the moment it's just not holding it in.

Mother of two, Leslie Walsh Costelloe from Clonlara, was in Limerick City when the deluge swept into her home.

When she arrived home, she was ferried through the flood water on her husband Declan's back to survey the damage.

"I was in town when my brother rang to say that it had gone into the house and into the gym. I thought he was joking until I rang my husband Declan and he said it had burst the banks," she said.

Despite the river which now runs through and around her home, Leslie's kitchen was still dry, and she immediately started cooking burgers for the dozens of neighbours that came to sandbag her doors.

"It never happened before and we are living here 17 years."

"It's in the house yeah. It has completely covered the concrete floor in the gym and out the patio doors. We're just trying to stop it coming into the kitchen," she added.