'I saw water running out my front door but I just walked past it': Midleton firefighters praised

One of the firefighters who swam to the woman’s house was John Paul Garde, whose own house was flooding at the time

Firefighter Dave Owers and Acting Sub Officer John Paul Garde swim to help a woman in her 80s. Picture: Cork Safety Alerts

At the height of the flooding in Midleton on Wednesday, a woman in her 80s using a walker was submerged in 4ft of water inside her home, while 8ft of water surrounded her house outside.

Local firefighters swam to her door to help her escape, however, the woman feared letting go of her walker and was brought upstairs where she could get dry while waiting for the army to arrive with a boat.