Storm Elsa stunned the west coast last night as heavy rain and 120km/h winds battered the country.
Met Eireann issued a Status Orange warning for both Galway and Mayo yesterday ahead of the adverse weather, but there was little time to prepare for the onslaught.
One shocking video of the chaos appears to show vehicles submerged in water in Salthill, near Galway city.
In the clip, uploaded by The Door Centre on Wednesday night, cars can be seen caught up in flood surges.
Local councillor Eddie Hoare issued an emergency update last night, warning that the Spanish Arch and Galway Docks were badly flooded.
The Chief Executive of Galway County Council was forced to issue a full emergency response to help tackle the storm.
The council also warned motorists to take care as several trees were reported to have fallen on roads.
A tweet said: "Trees down:on Dublin Rd at Galway Crystal; Ballymoneen Road - covering the entire road; Across Barna Woods on Barna Road - Road partially blocked; Taylors Hill at Ardilaun Hotel.
"Do not venture outdoors unless absolutely necessary."
It is understood that most of these obstructions have now been cleared.
While thousands of people were also left without power, as the ESB confirmed they were working to restore services lost due to the storm.
A spokesperson wrote on Twitter last night: "We have a number of faults around the country this evening as a result of Storm Elsa. Updates on most faults with their restoration times are available on powercheck.ie."
