Flood Alert! Athlone

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1124/weather.html

Rising waters in Athlone town

[URL="javascript:showPlayer('weather_av.html')"] [/URL] Tuesday, 24 November 2009 13:19
The Army has been called in to assist with efforts to tackle rising water levels in Athlone.
Around 30 Army personnel are now involved in assessment of the areas most at risk around the town.
Waterways Ireland has said that the levels below the lock in Athlone at Golden Island have now reached 38.98m, which is 4cm above yesterdays levels.
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Yesterday's levels were 40cm above average upstream from the lock for this time of year and levels are continuing to rise.

Getting too close for comfort!

BoB_BoT

yeah it's bad when they start evacuating. Any sign of the CC out today? I know the army were. Would be very interested to know if the council were.

boredatwork82

No, it was reported on RTE news that the council didn't go out and help the army. Thats a disgrace. Strikers will get no more sympathy from me anyway.

A couple of images taken today

BoB_BoT

while the weather is supposed to ease off for a bit, the levels are supposed to rise here.

If it's true that the CC weren't out when they were needed most, they can go swing from a tree the next time they look for sympathy.That's absolutely blood boiling and will tell them where they can go if they strike on the 3rd.

BoB_BoT

BoB_BoT wrote: »

while the weather is supposed to ease off for a bit, the levels are supposed to rise here.
.

In my experience the levels will continue to rise for a couple of days after the rains stop as the tribituries empty!

This is the first time I've seen Athlone flood so badly, be interesting to see what affect the lakes have on buffering to floods - could mean flooding for an extended period!

**Timbuk2**

What's the area around the Sheraton hotel like? Is it flooded at the moment?

neaideabh

Sheraton will be OK. Thats up a good bit from the Shannon!

The Raddison SAS was sandbagged (water almost level with the path) when I looked earlier today, their boathouse appeared to be flooded though

veryangryman

Lads, call me ignorant but how do you stop these floods? Even when weather improves i cant imagine them receding to acceptable levels - its the Shannon for fecks sake! :eek:

veryangryman

veryangryman wrote: »

Lads, call me ignorant but how do you stop these floods? Even when weather improves i cant imagine them receding to acceptable levels - its the Shannon for fecks sake! :eek:

Simple answer is; you can't!

DON'T BUILD ON FLOODPLAINS!

That's what they are there for, somewhere for excess water to go after a period of heavy rain.

*insert rant about brown envelopes coming before sensible planning decisions*

tubos

Golden Island is nearly a real island now!! the old warehouses were Advance Pitstop used to be is a lake, and Burgess Park is getting worse. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse.

How long before basements in the shopping centre start to take in water!
I saw yesterday that they were pumping out the underground carpark for the flats behind "Marys" discount shop.

prendy

lads is the roscommon road coming from the Motorway open?

ghosttown

Going to Athlone for dinner tonight in the Olive Grove at the bridge, rang to confirm, all ok and will be open..............anybody on here know where is best to park given the floods ?

vigos

veryangryman wrote: »

Lads, call me ignorant but how do you stop these floods? Even when weather improves i cant imagine them receding to acceptable levels - its the Shannon for fecks sake! :eek:

well not sure maybe the dam in Ardnacrusha also effects water levels too.

Is the strand flooded as well?

Ok I guess this answers my question

http://dynimg.rte.ie/0002c633-400-r.jpg

bridgitt

Deleted User wrote: »

Simple answer is; you can't!

DON'T BUILD ON FLOODPLAINS!

That's what they are there for, somewhere for excess water to go after a period of heavy rain.

*insert rant about brown envelopes coming before sensible planning decisions*

+1. Too late for some places built in the past 15 years though.

Bogger77

vigos wrote: »

well not sure maybe the dam in Ardnacrusha also effects water levels too.

Is the strand flooded as well?

Ok I guess this answers my question

http://dynimg.rte.ie/0002c633-400-r.jpg

Victoria Lock, a few miles down stream of Banagher controls section from Meelick/Banagher to Athlone weir, Athlone Weir controls from Athlone, through Lough Ree up to Jamestown, south of Carrick-on-Shannon.
Parteen weir controls Lough Derg to Portumna, and to south of Meelick.

If the water downstream of a weir is higher than or even equal to the weir level, then that weir is not having an affect, and the downstream weir would have to release more water to reduce the water levels upstream of that weir.

so in this case, Parteen would only have an affect on Athlone north of Athlone weir, if Victoria Lock's weir was over whelmed by water, and levels were higher than the weir, and the same was also occurring at Athlone weir.

Considering the distance between Parteen and Athlone, and the amount of tributaries flowing in the river, in that distance, I don't think the river system south of Parteen could cope with the volumes needed to be released. Between Athlone weir and Victoria Lock, you have the Suck and Brosna rivers, so basically all the land from north Roscommon, east Galway, Offaly, Westmeath, South east Longford and parts of west Meath draining into that section of Shannon

Bogger77

bridgitt wrote: »

+1. Too late for some places built in the past 15 years though.

[COUGH]Golden Island[/COUGH][COUGH]Ray Burke[/COUGH]

veryangryman

ghosttown wrote: »

Going to Athlone for dinner tonight in the Olive Grove at the bridge, rang to confirm, all ok and will be open..............anybody on here know where is best to park given the floods ?

Car Park at the Strand while close-ish to the floods, has still got spaces that are unaffected. Took a pic yesterday after parking there while grabbing a Subway

Road to Aldi's flooded but shop still (11:30) open and rising.

Ticktactoe

prendy wrote: »

lads is the roscommon road coming from the Motorway open?

I assume you mean the main Athlone to Roscommon road? If so, yes its open. Few houses along the way are in water but the road is clear.

As for affected areas around Athlone, here is a list of the places:

Extensive Flooding in and around Athlone, County Westmeath
The areas most affected by current flooding are as follows:
Westside
Parnell Square
The Park
Deerpark Road
Canal Walk
Millbank
Iona Villas
Iona Park
Excise Street
The Docks
Clonown Road
Accommodation Road

Eastside
The Strand
Griffith Street
Wolf Tone Terrace
Carrickobrien
Clonbonny
Ballygowlan
Portlick
Muckanagh

The Councils, as well as the Gardai, Defence Forces and other agencies and individuals, have continued to act to protect public safety and property as outlined in the previous statement.

The three principal agencies, being the Council, Gardai and Defence Forces met at 11am this morning to co-ordinate the response effort and will meet at the same time again tomorrow.

Defence Force equipment and personnel will be deployed this afternoon, the 25th to assess
the impact of the flooding in the rural areas to the north and south of the town. Following
this assessment, plans will be drawn up to ensure that the needs of people who are flooded
or isolated in these areas will be met. This may include assistance with evacuation, supplies
or transport.

The Gardai will continue to patrol affected areas, day and night.

The following are the contact numbers for people requiring assistance:

Sandbags / defences Athlone Town Council 090 6442100

Emergency Accommodation Athlone Town Council

Access Difficulties Athlone Town Council

Evacuation Assistance: Athlone Gardai 090 6498550

There is no current risk to water supplies and all water supplied is safe.

The best current information available to the Council, from Waterways Ireland, indicates that the
level of the river may rise further before it starts to fall.

The above was taken from the www.athlone.ie website

tubos

The road to Aldi is flooded now, some cars were getting through but most opting not to attempt it. The strand I think is totally closed off now, the middle section is particularly bad. Any more rain and I can see Golden Island being virtually inaccessible. The centre itself will probably be ok but the roads to it are in danger of flooding. The army are out anyway and there is a place in the town accepting donations. I think the Hodson Bay is now virtually inaccessible.

Bradan Feasa

Anyone know the story in Willow Park / Meadowbrook....flooded?

roosterman71

Hodson Bay hotel was only accessible by bus yesterday. Its worse today

Strongbow10

roosterman71 wrote: »

Hodson Bay hotel was only accessible by bus yesterday. Its worse today

silly question but when ya say inaccessible how bad is it? i.e where has the water come as far as? can i drive down the bay road at all?

blue banana

Sis is booked into the Hudson Bay Saturday night, they want to do a bit of shopping during the day, dinner in the Hotel Saturday night, should they stay away?

Gwydion

blue banana wrote: »

Sis is booked into the Hudson Bay Saturday night, they want to do a bit of shopping during the day, dinner in the Hotel Saturday night, should they stay away?

I was down by Hodson Bay yesterday. All I could do was turn around. Tell sis to cancel and find a drier hotel.

Black_Knight

Looks awful bad!

http://www.waveline.ie/SlideShows/22Nov09/

Gwydion

I love this . . .
Publicity stunt turns into PR disaster for Taoiseach


http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/publicity-stunt-turns-into-pr-disaster-for-taoiseach-1955985.html

tubos

Did the Bastion Quay apartments get hit? From the photo on the from of the Advertiser it seems they may have just escaped.

vigos

Panaramic photo of the flood in Athlone

http://johnsmyth.ie/blog/gallery/athlone/athlone-flood-panorama-3.jpg

BoB_BoT

vigos, any idea when that's from? The burgess park is a much more flooded than in that pic for a few days now.

vigos

BoB_BoT wrote: »

vigos, any idea when that's from? The burgess park is a much more flooded than in that pic for a few days now.

Really it´s worse than that?

Well accoring to his blog post its the 21st Nov

http://johnsmyth.ie/blog/2009/11/21/the-voyage-home/

walrusgumble

Gwydion wrote: »

I love this . . .
Publicity stunt turns into PR disaster for Taoiseach


http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/publicity-stunt-turns-into-pr-disaster-for-taoiseach-1955985.html

Considering how places like Athlone bucked the trend during the local elections by returning the usual high number of fianna failer's and considering cowan is a midlander, you would imagine he would of at least looked more engergetic than they way he did, and make a very simple request by the locals. Considering come elections, these lads will almost offer to baby set your child in order to get your vote - ya nearly have to set the dogs on them

on the other hand, cowen and his like would be better of in the dail or brussels dealing with the administrative side and leave the civil defence and army to do their jobs. you could sympathise with cowen's need to get back to dublin quickly. actions are better than words.still, you would be sure he would be out like bertie a few years ago if the problems were in his beloved clara/tullamore or dublin:rolleyes:. maybe the recent protests in athlone left a bitter pill for cowen:p

leukoshoopr

I'm from Dublin (a Dublin Bus driver working for Bus Eireann till Xmas) I know how to get to Athlone shopping centre(beside the railway station?) where the SVP drop off area is-hoping to bring some stuff up to SVP is that area ok for travel

Monasette

Hi,
I took the Athlone panoramic image picture mentioned by Vigo above. It was taken from the 8th floor of the Sheraton hotel around 8am on Friday [20th] morning [it's a bunch of pictures taken with a compact camera and then stitched together afterwards in Photoshop]. You can see how the water was beginning to snake around behind the shopping centre.
It certainly has got worse since - I took some pictures last Wednesday (25th) and the water is far higher - I'll post those images to my site later today.

/John

leukoshoopr

Thanks

flazio

Credit due to whoever designed Golden Island, there is banking all along the back and side which means that the Shopping Centre is remaining high, dry and open throughout. Planning done right for once.

Look at www.floodmaps.ie for historic flood data.

Here's a map of the Athlone are in 1954.





According to the opw site the 1954 floods were worse, I found these newspaper report of the floods from the same site
http://www.floodmaps.ie/View/GetReport.aspx?PA_ID=3261
http://www.floodmaps.ie/View/GetReport.aspx?PA_ID=1252

xo.mary

Guys, is Hudson Bay okay now?