December 8,2006Crossmolina, North Mayo County, Ireland
THE clean-up has commenced in Crossmolina as the North Mayo town comes to terms with the worst flooding since 1989, leaving €1 million worth of damage in its wake.
Twelve hours of uninterrupted rainfall caused the River Deel in Crossmolina to burst its banks and take the town by siege in the early hours of Sunday morning. Twenty premises were evacuated as flood waters rose to a depth of 3ft in some areas. Chapel Street, Church Street, Erris Street and parts of Main Street were underwater within an hour of the river bursting its banks.
Crossmolina counting the cost of a very wet weekend (click on)
By: Anna-Marie Flynn
ARINGING telephone broke the silence of the early morning in Fr Michael Reilly’s house, Crossmolina, on Sunday last. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence - people need the services of the local curate from time to time --but this call is one Fr Reilly will never forget.
A member of the local Fire Brigade was on the line, informing the priest that the River Deel had burst its banks and flash flooding was rapidly submerging the town.
“It was 6.30 am in the morning when the Fire Brigade rang me to tell me that most of Chapel Street was severely affected at that stage,” he told the Western People as he assessed the damage yesterday morning (Monday).
The River Deel burst its banks at approximately 5am on Sunday morning, causing an estimated •1 million to the town. Within an hour the centre of Crossmolina was under water, with Chapel Street, Erris Street and Church Street the worst areas hit. Twenty houses were flooded to a depth of 2ft and with three streets underwater, emergency services fought to keep the rising waters under control.
