New flood warning issued as city waits for more high tides

WITH some of the highest tides of the year set to hit the city’s coastline this coming weekend, the City Council have urged householders and businesses in vulnerable areas to be on flood alert.

The high risk period – following Thursday’s New Moon – is from Friday morning through to Monday morning, with tide heights of almost 5.7 metres predicted.

A spokesman for Galway City Council said that such high tides would invariably lead to some overtopping but the extent of any flooding would depend on weather conditions over the weekend.

“If we do get the combination of stormy winds and very low pressure then there could be serious flooding issues. We are asking people to be on full alert and to closely monitor weather forecasts over the next few days,” said the spokesman.

He said that the City Council would have crews on standby while he also urged people in vulnerable areas such as Flood Street, Fishmarket Square, Quay Lane and The Prom to keep closely in touch with the City Council’s website and to keep tuned in to local radio and media outlets.

“We will have crews on standby to deal with any situation that arises. We would ask everyone to err on the side of caution as we approach the weekend and to be aware of the possible flood risk,” said the City Council spokesman.

He added that despite the very raw and harsh conditions over the weekend, only very minor incidences of damage were reported. “It was an unpleasant weather weekend but at least no damage was done,” said the City Council spokesman.

The high risk times over the weekend are: Friday morning, 5.06, tide height of 5.6 metres; Friday evening, 5.32, 5.4m; Saturday morning, 5.50, 5.7m; Saturday evening, 6.16, 5.4m; Sunday morning, 6.35, 5.6m and Sunday evening, 7.0, 5.3m. (Source: Irish Sailing Association).

While low pressure will be the dominant weather pattern over the weekend, the main forecasters were (on Monday evening) predicting that we would avoid any ‘very strong winds’ over the Friday to Monday period, with ‘the low’ tracking well to the north of Ireland over the weekend.

However those in vulnerable flood areas have been urged to carefully monitor weather forecasts over the mid-week period when a clearer picture of the weekend conditions should be emerging.

Last week, Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, on a two visit to the city, said that he would be keeping up the pressure on the Government to deliver a flood relief package for the Salthill area.

 He accused the Government of abandoning their responsibilities to the local community following the worse storm to hit Salthill in decades. The Fianna Fáil leader inspected the storm damage, accompanied by local FF councillor, Peter Keane.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.