A climate change expert has warned that a massive storm during high tide will lead to parts of Dublin being submerged under water.
Professor Peter Thorne has warned that the extreme weather event will result in the capital’s iconic landmarks along the quays from Dublin Port to the Guinness Brewery to be flooded.
Storms to date have struck during low or neap tides but he fears that it is "only a matter of time" until a catastrophic storm will hit the capital during high tide.
Professor Thorne, who works at Maynooth University, said 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.
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.”
This would result in major flooding in Dublin’s city centre area as well as other parts like Clontarf and south Dublin.
He added: “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 also warned that the clean-up could cost billions of euro.
He also against buying property on the capital’s coastal areas fearing the rising sea levels will destroy homes.
He said: “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.”
