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The local hospital was also evacuated while our video footage shows people attempting to wade through the town as water levels continued to rise.
There were reports of people stuck in creches and schools, while there was widespread damage to homes and other buildings.
Severe flooding has hit the south of the country today following the arrival of Storm Babet.
Residents of towns in parts of Cork including Glanmire and Midleton are trapped in their homes, with roads impassable, while parts of Waterford and Kerry have also been badly hit.
Met Éireann warned of heavy rain, flooding and dangerous driving conditions across Kerry, Cork and Waterford today as a result of a Status Orange rain warning, which expired at 1pm.
A similar warning was issued by the national forecaster for Waterford, which is valid until 4pm, and for Wexford and Wicklow, which is in place from 2pm until 8pm.
Meanwhile, the remaining counties north and south are under a Status Yellow rain warning, bringing localised flooding and reduced visibility as well as dangerous driving conditions.
The Status Yellow rain warning remains in place until 8pm for Leinster, Cavan, Donegal and Monaghan and until 6pm for Clare, Limerick, Tipperary and Connacht.
7 day weather forecast: 16th-22nd October
Serious flood warnings have been issued for the southern half of the country, with Cork County Council reporting flooding at a number of locations, requiring crews to pump water from the road.
The river in Midleton has burst its banks and the town is badly flooded, road users have been advised to avoid the area.
Motorists are advised to take extreme caution in the Glanmire area and Kinsale due to flooding.
West Waterford is experiencing significant surface water flooding, with spot flooding on N25 and N72 as Storm Babet spreads across the south of the country.
Cork County Council continues to ask all road users to exercise extreme caution and only travel if necessary.
Videos of severe flooding on roads in Co Cork are being shared on social media, including on St Patrick’s Quay in the city.
Cork Safety alerts said the N25 at Killeagh is impassable this afternoon and emergency services are on scene.
Overtopping waves were seen at the Old Head Kinsale and the Quay Walls in Youghal during high tide at 7.40pm on Tuesday evening.
Council crews are on standby after flood defences were erected in Mallow and Fermoy following a meeting of Cork City Council’s Severe Weather Assessment team.
In addition, barriers and sandbags have been put in place by Cork City businesses due to fears of potential flooding from the River Lee during high tide this morning.
More than 1,600 homes and businesses remain without power in Co Kerry, while a number of faults in Tipperary and Limerick were restored this morning.
There were also smaller disruptions to power supplies in counties Carlow, Kildare and Westmeath.
The ESB estimates that customers in Co Kerry will have power restored between 2pm and 3.45pm this afternoon.
The threat of flooding by Thursday at Listowel on the River Feale is “high” while both the River Blackwater in Ballyduff, Co Waterford, and Killavullen Village in Co Cork are listed as being at the “extreme” level of threat, according to Google Flood Hub.
Storm Babet is expected to bring 100mm of rainfall and wind speeds of up to 80kmh to Ireland and England, however it will mainly affect the UK from Wednesday onwards, Met Éireann has said.
Cork County Council has asked members of the public to “exercise extreme caution” on Wednesday, as driving conditions may be hazardous, with increased surface flash flooding possible.
“Motorists are advised to avoid driving through flowing or standing water and to exercise caution during heavy rain.
Motorists are also asked to be especially conscious of vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians,” a council spokesperson said.
Met Éireann says Thursday will be mostly cloudy with outbreaks of rain, some of it heavy, with highs of 14-17C in light to moderate winds.
Friday will again by wet and cloudy with scattered heavy showers.
There is better news for Saturday, when rain and cloud will clear to the west during the day, although it will be gold, with highs of 9-12C in a light breeze.
Sunday and into next week is likely to remain unsettled with more rain and showers, the forecaster said.
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