IRELAND HAS been battered by its second storm in a week as Storm Francis made landfall late last night.
Last week, the arrival of Storm Ellen led Met Eireann to issue Status Yellow and Orange warnings for the whole island, with Cork being issued with the potentially lethal Red Weather Warning.
The storm felled trees and flooded towns, with Cork receiving the worst battering, and now the arrival of Storm Francis has caused even more damage in some of the worst-hit places.
Yellow and Orange rainfall warnings have been issued for the whole island, with counties in the West being the most vulnerable, and as Met Eireann predicted, the intense rainfall has led to flash flooding and river flooding.
The town of Bandon, County Cork, suffered severe flooding, raising questions as to why the underground pumps didn't help, similar to last week's flooding of Skibbereen.
Tonight in #Bandon #StormFrancis is creating havoc on Bridge Street and South Main Street. Questions about why the underground pumps haven’t kicked in have to be answered. pic.twitter.com/Nyfp0KUxs1
— Tim Lombard (@voteTimLombard) August 24, 2020
The West Cork town of Bantry, popular with tourists at this time of year, was also battered by Storm Francis and is unrecognisable in videos posted to social media, with much of the town's square under water.
Some more footage from the flooding in Bantry town this morning. #StormFrancis pic.twitter.com/ghi6eD3roL
— Cork Safety Alerts (@CorkSafetyAlert) August 25, 2020
The town's local fire brigade shared shocking video footage of further flooding in Bantry, stating that the town's New Street, Main Street, Barrack Street and the Square were all underwater.
New st, main st, barrack st, the Square, all flooded #Bantry @CorkSafetyAlert @corkcountyfire pic.twitter.com/Kftm5Fw2Jh
— Bantry Fire Brigade (@BantryFire) August 24, 2020
The Fire Brigade posted an update to social media just before 5 o'clock this morning confirming the floods had receded, the crew had assisted shop owners with the clean-up and had now returned to the station after a long night battling the floods.
Incredibly however, despite Storm Francis making landfall last night, most of the county remain on alert until approximately 9pm this evening.
The worst weather is expected this afternoon, with motorists urged to be vigilant of spot flooding and debris from the storm.
Fire crews across the country are also on high alert, with the risk of flooding remaining serious throughout the day.
For the full weather warning, issued for the entire island, you can visit Met Eireann (here).
