‘Sat Nav nerds’ told: Use your eyes
Senior garda warns drivers to use their common sense and follow signs... as high water set to stay for weeks
A SENIOR garda has lambasted ‘computer nerds’ who let Sat Navs guide them into swampy flood waters instead of using their eyes and their common sense.
Superintendent John Ferris warned motorists that they risk life and property if they don’t take more control.
And he advised that while there were signs that the worst of the flooding was over, water would lie on many roads for several weeks to come. He indicated that some careless motorists have already been guided into deep waters and then tried to drive on through.
Urging them to switch off their Garmin or TomTom systems and follow roadway signs that may indicate diversions, he complained: ‘We have computer nerds or people who won’t use their common sense and they’re following the satellite navigation system.
‘It tells them to turn this way and turn that way, and they’re ignoring the road signs that An Garda Síochána and the local authorities have agreed.
‘We’ve identified the safe routes. The satellite system won’t tell you how much water is on the roads, and it won’t tell you what’s safe.
‘So basically, it’s very simple – follow the road signs.’
And in the coming weeks, motorists must continue to be vigilant because there may be local flooding or debris even on roads where floodwaters have subsided.
Travelling at reduced speeds in affected areas is also advised.
People travelling to work and school this week are advised to check their local authority websites for information on roads affected by flooding, and on diversions or alternative routes.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the local council had to pump water out of a number of flooded houses in the Mornington area of Co. Meath yesterday after overnight rains caused a major build-up of water in Meath and on Cavan, Louth and Monaghan.
Wicklow was also hit, with the local authority response teams called out in Greystones, Delgany, Bray and Kilcoole. Eight houses were pumped out in Kilcoole.
Several homes remain flooded in Galway, while many more have sandbags surrounding them to keep the waters out.
Rivers across the country are generally seeing their levels fall, although the band of rain on Wednesday night brought up the capacity of the Nore, Slaney, Boyne and Bandon rivers, even though they remain below their recent peaks.
This week’s rainfall has brought flooding to roads, properties, homes and farmland, over a more widespread area than in recent weeks, the National Emergency Co-ordination Group said.
‘Over two hundred properties, including homes, have been affected in this escalation of flooding, while a similar number of properties are at risk from flooding and experiencing access difficulties,’ said chairman John Barry.
One mother whose home has been repeatedly flooded has threatened to chain herself to the gates of Leinster House in her campaign to secure flood protection for her family.
Geraldine Quinlivan, from Springfield, Clonlara, Co. Clare, met Sinn Féin party president Gerry Adams when he visited the swamped community yesterday, where 17 homes are under threat from flood waters.
‘If I have to chain myself to the gates of Leinster House to get this sorted out, we have to sort it out, because we can’t go through this again,’ she said.
‘There are 17 families down here directly affected by this and this is going on since 1995... so something has to change.’
Meanwhile, there were calls at a special meeting of Offaly County Council to reduce the powers of environmental agencies on waterways.
The meeting was convened to discuss the situation regarding flooding in the county. It heard a total of ten houses were flooded in there, and roads have been left in a very poor condition by the floods with a number still impassible.
‘It tells them to turn
this way and that’
Renua Ireland councillor John Leahy put down a motion calling for reduced powers for environmental agencies on waterways.
Querying the number of areas designated for the protection of wildlife, he said: ‘To me, we have to put our people first.’
His motion stated: ‘Offaly County Council directs the Government to revisit the legislation guiding the work of all environmental agencies, with regard to rivers and waterways, with the aim of reducing their powers of interference when it comes to cleaning of rivers and waterways.’
It was seconded by Councillor Eddie Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil, who said: ‘People and people’s property are more important than birds and fish.’
Met Éireann said that today would be cold and bright, with sunny spells and only scattered rain or hail showers, these mainly in coastal areas, with most other areas having a good deal of dry weather to help evaporate surface water.
The Shannon continues to have a severe or high flood situation although waters have dropped.
The upper catchment, dominated
‘People are more important than fish’
by Carrick-on-Shannon, has fallen by 3cm and is currently 18cm below its recent December peak.
In the Athlone area, the level has fallen by 1cm in the last 48 hours with the town 2cm above the 2009 peak level. Lough Ree has fallen by 3cm and is similarly above its 2009 peak. The lower catchment from Lough Derg to Banagher has fallen by 3cm and is now 3cm below the 2009 peak.
Limerick city has fallen by approximately 7cm in the past two days and is now significantly (14cm) below the high water mark it reached on December 13.
The smaller Shannon tributaries of the Suck and Brosna have both fallen significantly in the last two days. The river Inny has also decreased in load.
The River Erne at Belturbet has fallen by 4cm in the past two days but will needs to be monitored carefully in the coming days.
The following rivers have also all fallen significantly in the last 48 hours – Munster Blackwater, Clare, Barrow, Moy and Fergus.