High tides ten days before Christmas could prove seasonal spoilsport
City businesses and residents are braced for a flooding nightmare before Christmas.
Galway’s top local authority official has warned of the prospect of a ‘perfect storm’ causing flood damage 10 days before Christmas.
City Council Chief Executive, Brendan McGrath put elected members on notice that unusually high tides were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, December 15 and 16.
On those two days in particular, which are among the busiest shopping days of the year, tides are expected to be higher than 5.6 metres, Mr McGrath said.
Mr McGrath said that the tides would be “very high” and would result in overlapping of water.
He said he hoped that the high tides didn’t coincide with strong gale force eight winds or higher, and/or low pressure, and heavy rains.
That would produce a “perfect storm”, which he hoped would not happen.
Mr McGrath said the city would be put on flood alert – flood gates would be erected, the inflatable flood defence at Spanish Parade would be brought into action and sand bags would be distributed to flood-prone areas.
He said the City Council would remind businesses and residents of the impending high tides closer the time.
Galway has been particularly badly hit by freak weather events in the past decade.
In 2009, huge swathes of the county were submerged in water following what was described as a once in 100-year flooding event.
But Galway City, Ballinasloe and Gort were hit by floods again in the Winter of 2012 when millions of euros worth of damage caused.
Last year, businesses in Salthill were hit by storm damage in the weeks leading up to Christmas.