Did you know that the drainage network in Dublin city is comprised of 2,500 km of pipe work, 50,000 manholes and 55,000 gullies? Understandably, you might not, but last summer these statistics were vitally important, as our fair city became awash with water.
On 9th August at approximately 4.00pm, a deluge delivering a staggering 76 mm of rainfall to the city was recorded. A one in one hundred and fifty year event, this meteorological phenomenon put our drainage system under severe pressure and the north side of the city took the brunt of the flooding.
Drainage division’s ‘on call’ inspector Vincent Sherwin was immediately on hand to help, effectively deploying the division’s resources in a co-ordinated rapid response. Side by side, Vincent and his crews assisted the emergency services with the evacuation of people stranded in their cars and homes. Faced with alleviating road flooding, distributing sand bags, pumping out basements and private dwellings for the citizens of Dublin, they worked tirelessly through the night from 5 pm to 1.30am the following morning, only to return at 6am to start all over again! Under the direction of Divisional Engineer Martin Ryan, the clean up operation continued further until 8pm the following evening.
Exclusively employed by Dublin City Council’s Drainage Division since 1977, Vincent has excelled in the numerous positions he has held in the Division since then. If you have been unlucky enough to have had a drainage problem on your property, you will most likely have been lucky enough to have met our Vincent! A dedicated worker and an excellent ambassador for the Division, Vincent has the unenviable and often thankless task of being guardian of the city’s sewers. He is almost always the first person on the scene and the last person home.
The management and staff of the North Central Area Office would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Vincent and the crews in the Drainage Division for their tireless efforts in responding to flash flooding in our city. They are our unsung heroes!