Residents in the Clontarf area of Dublin had to leave their homes following flash flooding yesterday morning.
Dublin Fire Brigade were called to the scene close to the Auburn apartments and Castle Court housing estate in Clontarf after receiving multiple phone calls, where water has damaged housing and cars.
The basement of the apartment block flooded, cutting off services including electricity for residents.
The fire brigade pumped out the flood water, which was up to roof level in the basement at one point.
17 houses on the estate beside the apartments were also been flooded.
Eight people were taken from their homes using inflatable rescue sleds. One person, a 92-year-old man, was taken to hospital.
Some of the residents affected were moved to a local hotel.
Local resident Marie Casey said she invited over neighbours who could not get into their home due to the flood water.
"It was only when we heard people running around screaming 'get out, get out, everybody out’ that we kind of looked out our window and we saw people streaming outside of the apartment building running and helping each other," she said.
"Then you could start seeing this water was like flooding over in, like a waterfall from the of next-door wall."
Crews from Phibsboro, HQ and North Strand are in Clontarf with @DubCityCouncil and are using a high volume pump to clear an underground car park pic.twitter.com/aGDTPNPXCi
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) August 5, 2023
Ms Casey said that the fire brigade arrived to remove people from their houses not long after. She added that she has seen residents being rescued from their houses on boats.
"We found out that the water had actually filled the basement down below the apartment buildings near us and was rising and coming out onto the road as well," she said.
"It was getting higher and higher and higher and then starting to kind of spread down the road down further."
Other residents said that flood water came into their homes very suddenly yesterday morning. Some had bought flood barriers to put across doorways after previous floods on the road in 2011, but they did not have time to put them in place.
The apartment's property management company has been contacted for comment.
The flooding comes after a number of Status Yellow weather warnings across Ireland, which all lapsed yesterday afternoon.
Additional reporting: Colman O'Sullivan
