Arklow Evacuates Households
November 7th, 2000
Arklow's emergency services in County Wicklow evacuated several families from flooded areas of the seaside town as water levels continued to rise and their situation became a cause for concern. An estimated 100 people were evacuated from their homes. Arklow town's emergency plan was put into action co-ordinating the Fire Brigade, Civil Defense, Garda, and Ambulance service.
The torrential rain combined with the river Avoca bursting its banks at several places caused extensive flooding in the town with large areas of land and housing under water as flood levels rose out of control. Residents of Ferrybank on the old Dublin road woke to find their houses flooded in the early hours of Monday morning despite the best efforts of the local council who provided sandbags as defense against the floodwaters.
Large amounts of the river walk adjoining the Avoca River were under water and some business premises suffered extensive damage running into thousands of pounds. Despite the Avoca River bursting its banks, many parts of the town normally associated with flooding have escaped the damage caused by the storms. The high tide on Monday night did not bring with it the expected wash of seawater to the lower end of the town and a major disaster was therefore averted. Flood warnings have however being given for the next few days and people in the effected areas are bracing themselves for whatever the weather may throw at them.
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