by Andrew Carey
A YEAR after Limerick was hit by the worst flooding in its history, temporary defences have been erected around the banks of the Shannon as seven metre high tides are expected over the coming days.
The local authority has installed hundreds of sandbags around previously breached river banks.
Tides on the Shannon are expected to reach 7.3m on the morning of Thursday 22 and Friday 23 before they begin a gradual decline to normal levels. They are predicted to rise again in mid-February when tide table figures for Friday 20 indicate that the flow should reach 7.5m in Limerick.
Limerick City and County Council say that they are monitoring the flow and tidal range of the Shannon over the two mooin phases and will deploy more defences if needed as well as being on full alert to respond to any incidents.
Early last year, hundreds of families were displaced after their homes were flooded when the Shannon breached defences causing millions of euro worth of damage.
