There is little let-up in sight for the hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses on high flood alert with predictions of another 15 to 25mm of rainfall expected in some of the worst-hit areas.

And hundreds of passengers were delayed arriving into Dublin Airport today because of high winds.

Three flights due into the airport early this morning were diverted because of the strong winds.

The flights diverted to Shannon and Manchester, a Dublin Airport spokesperson said.

The flights affected included an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi, and a Delta Airlines flight from New York.

Delayed

It was "unusual" for flights to be diverted because of winds at the airport, but other flights today could be delayed because of the weather conditions.

An early morning Aer Arann flight from Galway was cancelled. Other flights were expected to be delayed by 10 to 20 minutes.

An Air France flight from London City airport due into Dublin at 8.50am was also cancelled.

Today rain continued to deluge the west and southwest although the recent gale-force winds are expected to ease.

Further torrential rain yesterday left dozens more homes in villages and townlands of south and east Galway facing the prospect of evacuation.

Damage

Thousands of homeowners along the Shannon were also fearful of further flood damage and in Cork warnings were being issued about the risks to public health as receding floodwaters dump raw sewage on gardens and streets.

The Environmental Protection Agency has warned of the dangers of e-coli contamination caused by flooded septic tanks and compromised wastewater treatment plants.

The entire water mains system in the city has to be flushed out with newly-treated water before drinking water can be restored.

In Clare and Ennis the two local mayors, Tony Mulcahy and Frankie Neylon, issued a joint statement following the warnings for the town and south-east of the county.

"The situation will get worse before it gets better," they warned. "It is very likely that areas previously affected by floodwaters in recent days will again experience flooding over the coming days."

The Shannon is expected to continue to swell over the next week after flooding hit Athlone further upstream and Met Eireann said heavy bands of rain would cross the country.

More homes in south Galway were under threat this morning in south Galway after further heavy rain overnight.

The continuing deluge also brought a new headache to motorists in the area.

The coastal route between Gort and Kinvara, which had been used by drivers to avoid the badly flooded sections of the main Galway-Limerick road, was swamped.

Huge volumes of water are crossing the N18 near Kiltartan making the route impassable.

Water levels on the outskirts of Limerick remained stable but many homes are still under threat. At the University of Limerick campus, 490 students in Thomond village were without water for 24 hours and had to be bussed out for showers.

Subsidise

In Cork the City Council has been challenged to slash commercial rates and subsidise bottled water to help traders and families hit by the worst flooding of the River Lee in 800 years.

Initial estimates have put the Cork's flood damage and repair bill at more than €100m.

In Athlone, Army training has been cancelled and soldiers are being drafted in to help residents forced to evacuate their homes. Residents have already left up to 50 homes on the east and west sides of the town.

Road closures and diversions are also still in place in Leitrim, Clare, Cavan, Galway, Kildare, Longford and Carlow Town.

Abated

Floodwaters have abated somewhat in Clonmel over recent days but bad weather overnight ensured that local emergency services remain on high alert.

Weather experts say the unsettled conditions will continue right into the weekend and temperatures are also dropping with a threat of frost in more sheltered areas.

Flood victims, whose damaged homes and possessions are not covered by insurance will be able to apply to the Government's new €10m humanitarian assistance fund. A further €2 is also being set aside for a "fodder aid" scheme.

Successful applicants are expected to be given funds to replace carpets, beds, flooring and appliances like washing machines and cookers.

The criteria for the means test have not yet been decided but there will be no upper limit for the amount of assistance provided to the most severely affected households.

hnews@herald.ie

- Clodagh Sheehy, Ralph Reigel, Barry Duggan, Conor Kane and Brian McDonald