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Bandon Tidy Towns / Twitter@redfm @Corks96FM @Corkcoco sickened to see #bandon under water again. Well done to all that are helping out pic.twitter.com/FdYIwxa6EV
— Bandon Tidy Towns (@ttbandon) December 5, 2015
TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has broached the possibility that emergency funding could be used to help with the flood clean-up effort.
Speaking in Dublin this afternoon, he said: “Let me empathise with householders and business people who have had flooding occur on their premises, from Castlefinn down to Bandon, over the last weekend.”
Clearly a month’s rain in two days is something that we’re not used to in Ireland and November being a very wet month with the ground being saturated to a great extent has exacerbated this problem.
The Taoiseach and Simon Harris, Minister of State with a special responsibility for the Office of Public Works, were briefed on the situation by Seán Hogan, chair of the National Emergency Co-ordination group, earlier.
Kenny said that he has also met with the chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht, who had collected reports of flooding from around the country.
“We’ll collate all those reports today and the cabinet will discuss in the morning the question of the possibility of emergency funding being made available here,” he went on.
Remedial work has already taken place in Clonmel, Fermoy, Mallow and Ennis.
Who is this emergency funding needed for?
The Taoiseach’s announcement follows the commencement of a major clean up operation across the country.
The damage caused by Storm Desmond is expected to run into millions of euro, with the towns of Tralee, Kenmare, Skibbereen and Bandon some of the worst affected.
Heavy rain in the Cork town of Bandon caused water to reach levels of more than three metres at times.
This was met with criticism from local businesses, due to a failure to progress a flood defence scheme that was planned by the Office of Public Works following similar damage in 2009.
‘Devastated and frustrated’
Earlier, the Irish Farmers Association called for a “clear government response” to the flooding.
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has been visiting some affected areas in Cork today, including Bandon.
A spokesperson for Harris said the junior minister intends to visit some of the affected areas in the coming weeks, but his primary concern is helping to coordinate the immediate government response.
They added that Harris is “devastated and frustrated at the level of flooding”, but wanted to thank the emergency services, local authority staff and volunteers who helped people and businesses affected.
The spokesperson noted that there were 7,000 members of the emergency services and local authorities on call over the weekend.
Coveney and Harris will update the cabinet on the situation tomorrow.
People affected by the flooding may be eligible to receive financial assistance from the Department of Social Protection’s Humanitarian Assistance Scheme.
Flood warnings
Limerick City and County Council has said it has been informed by the ESB of plans for “further significant releases of water” from Parteen Weir.
The council said the volume of water planned for release is at a level which is likely to cause flooding of roads and could also potentially affect property in flood-prone locations. The areas most at risk of experiencing flooding are Montpelier, Castleconnell and the Mountshannon Road, Lisnagry.
Clare County Council has also warned that flooding could occur along the River Shannon.
Neil Prendeville / TwitterAmazing show of solidarity amongst the people/traders of #Bandon following the devastation #StormDesmond caused. pic.twitter.com/aGA8mkx386
— Neil Prendeville (@NeilRedFM) December 7, 2015
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland earlier, local business owners explained that they had been unable obtain flood insurance after the last incident.
Fine Gael TD for Cork South-West Jim Daly, who also had property damaged in the flooding, was also on the programme.
He said that he had already spoken to Harris and was planning to discuss compensation for business owners with the Taoiseach.
That is my responsibility as a representative of the people in this town. It is to ensure that I get the funding from central government. And that is my job from tomorrow morning.
He said that around 30 businesses had been badly damaged by the weather and the aim was to get compensation in place before Christmas.
C103 Cork / TwitterTomorrow #CorkToday @C103Cork Broadcasts Live from our #Bandon Studios to discuss the aftermath of yet another Flood pic.twitter.com/LePuMXPfLD
— C103 (@C103Cork) December 6, 2015
Responding to criticism of the sub-standard flood defence scheme, Tim Lucey, the chief executive of Cork County Council, said:
Cork County Council has treated the progression of flood defences as a priority across the county working in tandem with the lead agency nationally for development of flood defence works, the Office of Public Works, to advance Flood Relief schemes particularly for Schemes in Bandon and Skibbereen.
He went on to say that contractors are expected to start on flood relief schemes by next year.
- Additional reporting from Rónán Duffy and Órla Ryan
- First published 9.10am
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It’s a day for the high stool I think..
I just laid a high stool….now it’s a low stool!
Fluichy ar lá
Journal, what’s with the file photo? Can’t you people point your phone out of the window and take a picture of the actual storm effects?
The Jpurnal is based I Dublin and the worst of the storm is happening initially in the west of the country and they don’t have a camera with a two hundred mile zoom lens.
They don’t have windows because you don’t click their ads. :(
Dam the cliffs are closed.
Drove on m50 slow down people
Today the council are out putting boiling tar into holes filled with water and throwing gravel on top.. its not going to stay .. why is this always done in the rain ???
What idiot council is doing that?
water conservation !
Have to spend the budget before the end of the year. Could do a bit of planning and fill the potholes earlier in the year
Don’t forget to turn the tap off when washing your teeth, its all about water conservation after all?.
Ugghh have to go to work in that. More of a day for the high stool
I don’t mean to poke holes but that headline picture looks alot like Toronto and their street cars in the background?
It’s alright ye all can go back out tuesday we have a meeting in Dublin to see we can we batten down storm austerity which has been raging for years
You’re some saucepan Derek… I really hope you get soaked today
And Tuesday
Cathal I wonder who pi$$ed on Derek’s cornflakes???
Cathal rather be a saucepan than a colander and have all drained out of me without trying to put a stop to it
Empty vessels make most noise
And the more noise the better
Did last sat not today though don’t like the same medicine over and over again like to try and do something about it
Some one spitting their dodie out …awhhhhhh. Did ya git out of your homeless sleeping bag on the wrong side this morning.. jockd ?? ,yellow to the front , brown to the back. Derek
Gem Larkin do not insult the name give it hack
Fcuk off Dessie!
A tarzans mate whether it rains or not Jane I’ll be there
Lol
We’re not in Kanas anymore Toto !
I was coming back home last night (well…. early morning… 3.00 am) with my Vespa…. I can tell I challenged several laws of physics driving my scooter around…. but was fun!
Went for a run then shopping, dinner and pints, you’re all wimps
Went t bring me dogs for walk ths mornin.the look on their faces.”No fkn way u gettn us out in that lad, p**ss off “
You can fly to Donegal?!
Haha see all hear all assummption making know damn all lackey
Meanwhile the government argues for an exemption from carbon emissions targets at the Paris conference. Didn’t someone tell these storms that we’re exempt? #denial
I was in Dublin yesterday & while it was raining up to 12 noon it cleared up good enough with some squally outbursts but nothing compared to what other counties got.. There was still a lot of dry intervals.. When i got back to cork last night it was bucketing again..
I drove from Dublin to athlone earlier today,to say it was an unpleasant experience is an understatement
Storm Desmond! Almost makes the bad weather sound kinda’ alright and that it’s even a bit of craic. Can’t wait to hear the future news about ‘Storm Jack Cruise’ and its ….Gaels of Laughter, Ha! .
Weather you wouldn’t even leave a ladder out in, I think?
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