Galway cleans up after a day of heavy rain leaves city streets under water.
Serious flooding in parts of Galway city centre following torrential rain and violent thunderstorms. Emergency services have been pumping water from pubs, restaurants and business premises for several hours. ESB crews work to restore power supplies in the city and adjoining villages.
Tonight's flooding is the worst the city has experienced in several years.
The worst hit areas are around Wood Quay and Quay Street. Tourists visiting Galway for the arts festival were among those who had to flee the deluge. Many basements in the city are completely flooded and damage has already been estimated at hundreds of thousands of euro. A big concern is the amount of sewerage that has been washed out onto the streets of the city.
ESB crews say that around 800 households were affected by power cuts. Emergency services say that the clean up operation will take several more hours.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 20 July 2003. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
