The ESB and Met Eireann have notified county councils in the Shannon catchment area of the danger of rising flood levels in the coming days.

In excess of 30mm of rainfall is forecast for the Shannon catchment area over the next five days and this may raise the already high levels in Lough Derg, the River Shannon and its tributaries to the record levels of 2009. This is likely to result in flooding to properties, land and roads in the Shannon catchment. People are advised to exercise great care in these areas.

The problem is particularly acute on the River Shannon, where already Lough Allen has reached the peak water levels of the 2009 winter floods. In other areas such as Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon, Offaly, Clare and Limerick, vast amounts of land and households are flooded, many of which have never experienced such devastation.

“Farmers across the country have endured a very difficult situation, particularly in western, north-western and midland counties,” said IFA Connacht regional chair and flooding project team chair Tom Turley. “This situation will deteriorate significantly as flood waters move along the various river systems. Already, the IFA is reporting devastation to thousands of acres of farmland, households cut off and animals having to be moved to higher ground.”

Turley has called on Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and Minister for Public Works Simon Harris to immediately visit the areas worst affected by flooding and meet the farmers, householders and businesses affected by the severe weather of the last number of days.

In addition, he called on both ministers to convene a meeting of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group to put in place an action plan to deal with the current severe flooding.

“There is now a need for a clear Government response. Ministers Coveney and Harris must immediately convene the National Emergency Response Group to co-ordinate this response,” said Turley.