Athlone Flooding 2015
A panoramic view in December 2015 of the river Shannon looking upstream towards the railbridge. On the left is the church of St. Peter & St. Paul, and also the town library+art gallery. On the right is the Radisson hotel.
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Strolling down the Strand, Athlone on Dec 11th 2015
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Flood defences on the Strand near the town bridge in Athlone (Dec 11th 2015)
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Flooding on the Strand in Athlone on December 14th, 2015
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Flood defences in place along the Strand in Athlone on December 14th, 2015
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Flood defences in action on December 14th 2015 in front of the Strand in Athlone. The large blue box is a pump - a number of them were manned 24 hours a day during the flooding to keep the water at bay.
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The water level in front of the Radisson Hotel in Athlone has advanced in this picture (December 14th 2015 ) compared to the previous picture.
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Flood water lapping against sandbags along the Quay in front of Athlone Castle in Athlone, on December 14th, 2015
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Flood water lapping against sandbags along the Quay in Athlone, on December 14th, 2015
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Water encroaching on the Athlone Castle carpark on December 14, 2015 - note the sandbags protecting the buildings along the bank.
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Water encroaching on the Athlone Castle carpark on December 14, 2015
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The Shannon lock-gate in Athlone on December 11th, 2015.
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The Shannon lock-gate in Athlone on December 14th, 2015. Note the increased water level compared to the picture taken on the 11th (i.e. the jetty underneath the sign is now under water)
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Flood defences along the Quay in Athlone on December 14, 2015
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Floodwater from the Shannon near houses on the Clonown Road in Athlone, December 14th, 2015
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A flooded industrial site on the Clonown Road in Athlone on December 14th, 2015
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A panoramic view of Deerpark and the Clonown road under flood on December 14, 2015. This road marks the boundary of the Shannon Callows in Athlone - a large expanse of summer meadow that floods every year. The houses on the right were built during the Celtic Tiger years.
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Houses on the Clonown Road in Athlone with flood defences, on December 14th, 2015
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Flood defences at the end of Canal Banks road in Athlone - December 14th 2015
The problem with flooding doesn't end even if it is possible to keep the flood water from flowing into the house. The ground is saturated, and there is nowhere for drainage water and sewage to flow. In the foreground, water is bubbling up from a manhole behind the flood defence line.
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On December 14th, 2015, council workers and Civil Defence volunteers maintain flood defences, including pumps and sandbags, at the intersection of Deerpark and Canal Banks in Athlone. The fields beyond this point are the Shannon Callows - they flood every winter and , until recently, were the habitat for migrating corncrakes during the summer.
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