Climate change expert Professor Peter Thorne has warned that it’s ‘only a matter of time’ before an extreme weather event submerges parts of Dublin underwater.
Thorne, who works at Maynooth University, explained that the clean up would cost the country billions of euro.
He has claimed that the impending extreme weather event will see iconic Dublin landmarks, such as the Guinness Brewery and Dublin port, become submerged underwater.
Previous storms that have hit the city have struck at times of low or neap tides, but Professor Thorne says that it’s only a matter of time before a disastrous storm hits the capital during high tide.
He told the Irish Times, “The combination of water trying to escape and water being pushed up into the river means it will end up moving sideways.
“There would be hundreds or thousands of properties basically – residential, commercial and government properties – that would be underwater for a considerable length of time, with all the implications that that has.”
He added, “It would take months to dry out the structure of properties flooded. Some may be so damaged they would end having to be destroyed and rebuilt.”
He also warned that the storm would force the water from Dublin Bay to be pushed into the Liffey while it’s in full flow from the Wicklow Mountains, causing chaotic flooding in the city.
As well as the city centre, coastal areas in Dublin’s northside and southside would also fall victim to catastrophic flooding.
