Strong winds and a high tide leave many parts of the west of Ireland suffering the effects of flood waters.
With high seas pounding the entire seaboard from counties Kerry to Donegal, it is a day of hazardous driving and constant battles with rising floodwaters.
In Limerick the worst hit areas are Clancy's Strand in the city centre and Corbally. St Mary's Secondary School, Corbally has been completely cut off by a flash flood and students given the day off.
A combination of gale force winds and high spring tides caused serious flooding in a number of areas along the Galway coast. Among the worst affected locations are Kinvara and Galway city. Tidal waters entered a number of houses and business premises along the quay in Kinvara overnight. One family had to abandon its home completely,
The smell is unbelievable, the smell is so bad.
The flooding was at its worst in Galway city overnight where the sea front areas in the Salthill and Claddagh area were badly hit. The morning sees people mopping up and taking precautions.
Sandbags are made available to local residents and corporation workers are busy placing sandbags in strategic point around the Claddagh. By nightfall crews in Galway are still working to restore phone lines and power supplies.
The bill for the flooding is already running into tens of thousands of pounds but it looks like the threat of further flooding has abated.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 10 February 1997. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
