This Bulletin was distributed to all known American citizens resident in the Republic of Ireland Embassy of the United States of America

This Bulletin was distributed to all known American citizens resident in the Republic of Ireland

Embassy of the United States of America

Dublin, Ireland

December 3, 2009

Following an extended period of rainfall and severe weather conditions, flood response efforts continue across a number of counties in Ireland. Furthermore, heavy rain and high tides are expected to peak beginning Wednesday, December 2, through Saturday, December 5 and result in an increase in water levels in areas currently affected by flooding, especially County Clare. The current major areas affected include Clare, Cork, Galway, Limerick, and Roscommon. It has also been reported that Carlow, Kildare and Tipperary are being affected by the severe floods. The Health Services Executive (HSE) has advised people living in flood-affected areas to protect their health when using emergency water supplies and to take precautions in cleaning up safely after floods. The local authorities are working with An Garda Siochana, Civil Defence, the HSE, and the Army Services to ensure that the necessary action is taken.

For more information from the HSE, please refer to the following website: www.hse.ie/eng/services/news/Campaigns/Floods.html

Please see the details below for additional information from the local authorities in the affected areas.

County Cork

The affected flood areas in Cork have reportedly been reconnected to the main water supplies. However, councils in the areas are conducting water quality tests to ensure that the floods have not contaminated the water supplies. For more up-to-date information, please refer to the Cork County Council’s website: www.corkcoco.ie.

Cork City

In Cork City, the City Council continues to restore the main water supply to households affected by the consequences of the recent flooding in Cork City. Affected households north of the River Lee – North Channel have had their supply restored; however, work is ongoing in some small areas in the north side of the city. A number of areas on the south side of the city are without water or are experiencing intermittent supply or low pressure. The City Council advises that consumers who do not have a clean main water supply at a steady pressure should not use washing machines, dishwashers, pumped showers, etc.

As the supply of piped water returns on a phased basis, Cork City Council, in consultation with the HSE, has lifted its Boil Water Notice in certain areas. Please refer to its website, www.corkcity.ie, for the detailed map outlining the areas in Cork City where Boil Water Notices are still in place. The emergency FREEFONE helpline number is 1.800.283.034 (8:00am–10:00pm); the 24-hour emergency number is 021.496.6512. For more information please refer to Cork City Council’s website: www.corkcity.ie.

Galway

In Galway, a Boil Water Notice was issued after it was reported that water supplies were contaminated with animal and human waste as a result of the flooding. It has been reported that it may take a number of weeks for engineers to work on repairing the damage. For more information, please refer to Galway County Council’s website: www.galway.ie. In cases of emergencies relating to flooding, please call 091.509.309.

Roscommon

Roscommon County Council advised consumers that due to the current flooding situation, as a precautionary measure, it is advisable to boil water before use until further notice. Emergency telephone numbers are listed on its website: http://www.roscommoncoco.ie/services/contacts.html.

Limerick and Clare

Limerick County Council and Clare County Council confirmed that a precautionary Boil Water Notice was put in place in Montpelier, O’Briensbridge and Bridgetown.

For residents of Limerick, further information and advice is available at the following phone numbers: 061.496.326 (9.30am–4.30pm, Monday–Friday), 061.419.226 or 087.629.5167 (after-hours). A Boil Water Notice was issued for the southeast regional water supply area last week and is still in place.

Clare County Council has repeated its flood risk warning for all parts of the county. Despite reporting a slight drop in water levels in recent days, further rainfall is expected within the next three days. The Council advised that its Crisis Management Centre would once again become fully operational within a half hour should conditions deteriorate significantly over the coming days. In the interim, an after-hours emergency number, 087.416.9496, has been set up by Clare County Council. For more information, please refer to its website: www.clarecoco.ie.

For more information relating to the flooding, please refer to the relevant county website or contact the local authorities in the relevant counties. For more information on the roads affected by the floods, please refer to the information on the AA website: www.aaroadwatch.ie.

Registration:

Americans living or traveling in Ireland are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Ireland. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the Embassy in Dublin. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.

U.S. Embassy Information:

U.S. Embassy Ireland is located at 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. If calling from within Ireland, the Embassy can be reached via phone at 01.668.8777, after hours number 01.668.9612. If calling from outside of Ireland please use the country code +353 prior to dialing the numbers. The Embassy email address is ACSDublin@state.gov.

Comment:

The information above was distributed to all American citizens known to be resident in Ireland. It underscores the very serious nature of the flooding and the fact that it does not seem to be receding but rather they are expecting it to worsen in the next few days. This drastic situation is reminiscent of the devastation suffered by residents of our own Gulf Coast Region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. I do not believe this is any time to drag our feet if it is our intention to do whatever we can to assist the victims and it certainly should be. We need to mobilize our efforts now in order to be ready to act as soon as our help is needed. Many thanks to our Hibernian Brother, John Shanahan who currently resides in Ireland for sharing this information with us.

For more up to date information on this and other items of interest, please refer to: http://hibernianamericannews@blogspot.com/