Riverside restaurant owner in Athlone says they could be in the river soon -- floodwaters (HD)

• published: 12 Dec 2015
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'Complete mayhem' for residents as river breaks bank flooding homes with water Snow adds to weather chaos as flood-hit regions brace for more heavy rain Homes in South East Clare near the Limerick border are under water after the Blackwater River breeched its banks. Shortly after 1pm this afternoon a fierce swell came over the bank, which was previously raised by the office of public works to prevent flooding. In seconds the river swept through the back of several homes taking residents by surprise. Neighbours and friends are currently desperately trying to divert the river which is now running through the houses. Local farmers are using diggers to dig channels and drains in the hope of protecting more homes downstream. Caroline Micks, whose home once stood in the way of the river, and is now in the middle of it, said it was "complete mayhem". "The bank behind the house here burst a little bit and the water was coming into then fields behind us, filling them up," she said. Standing in her Wellington boots in several feet of water she added: "Then it swept through the fields and came back into the house, into the garden and down into the back of the garage." "Within a few minutes the gardens were full and it was up to the house and that's it." "I don't know after that," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It is just mayhem around here at the moment." She thanked her neighbours, who are also flooded, for racing to her family's aid. "In fairness, you couldn't ask for better neighbours. There is a huge reaction and hopefully we won't be hit too hard." She added: "The river is right behind us. It's burst in a few places and there's no holding it back at the moment." "The worry is the weather is set to get worse," she said. The mother of three added: "It happened in 1995, but a lot of work was done on the retention on the bank, but this is worse." "I've never seen the river this high before. After the bank was raised, you'd imagine it would have retained the river, but there's no stopping it now." "The bank was raised a few years ago by the Office of Public Works but the level is so high at the moment it's just not holding it in." Read more: Travel warnings have been issued across Ireland - see what roads have been affected by weather conditions Mother of two, Leslie Walsh Costelloe from Clonlara, was in Limerick City when the deluge swept into her home. When she arrived home, she was ferried through the flood water on her husband Declan's back to survey the damage. "I was in town when my brother rang to say that it had gone into the house and into the gym. I thought he was joking until I rang my husband Declan and he said it had burst the banks," she said. Despite the river which now runs through and around her home, Leslie's kitchen was still dry, and she immediately started cooking burgers for the dozens of neighbours that came to sandbag her doors. "It never happened before and we are living here 17 years." "It's in the house yeah. It has completely covered the concrete floor in the gym and out the patio doors. We're just trying to stop it coming into the kitchen," she added. Snowfall has been reported in Co Mayo as well as several counties in the midlands. Heavy snowfall has also been reported in parts of the north. Families in areas at risk of flooding have been told there is little option now but to "wait and see" as floodwaters are set to peak in the next 48 hours. DUBLIN Meanwhile, Dublin City Council and An Garda Síochána are appealing to residents living adjacent to the River Liffey between Chapelizod and Island Bridge to remove all parked cars from underground car parks and low lying areas. Although living quarters are not expected to be compromised, the expected rise in water levels may impact on underground car parks and cars should be removed to higher ground as a precaution. Read more: Alan Kelly says current flooding 'worst that has ever been seen' WESTMEATH Westmeath County Council held an emergency meeting today to discuss the crisis. Over the last 24 hours, water levels increased by approximately 70mm and as of this morning, three houses have been inundated in the Athlone area. In a statement it said: "The Council is in receipt of an ESB forecast of river levels for the next four days and this is indicating that the River Shannon in Athlone will continue to rise slowly up to Wednesday 16th December 2015. The highest predicted level is 39.45mOD, which is approximately 50mm above current levels. "The current flooding in Athlone is having a severe effect on a small portion of the town but the effects are localised and there is no impact on the town at large. All transport links, streets, car parks and commercial areas are operating normally and will continue to do so over the weekend and into next week. For the first time, authorities have sought help from the European Emergency Centre in Brussels, which has begun using observation satellites to assess the extent of floods.