President warns crisis for flood victims not over

By Fiachra O Cionnaith

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

THE public must not turn its back on hundreds of families who are still facing a "personal crisis" in the aftermath of the floods disaster, the President of Ireland has said.

In the first day of a two-day visit to Ireland’s worst-affected flood areas, Mary McAleese congratulated the people of Cork for their "outstanding" response to the initial crisis.

However, she insisted that, while the waters have subsided, the crippling financial and emotional damage caused means support is still needed for those struggling to cope with the aftermath of the floods.

"First of all you have to acknowledge their distress because they are very, very distressed. They have been utterly traumatised.

"For many people once the flood goes down the crisis continues," President McAleese said. "The house is still uninhabitable, there’s the worry over money and whether the insurance company will pay up, and for businesses there is the question of whether they will they get back into business. All of these things are ongoing.

"That awful moment of crisis is over, but the crisis continues in people’s lives."

The President made the comments during a whistle-stop tour of Cork where she spoke to those affected at Sheares Street in the city centre and to flood victims in Bandon.

Among those she met were up to 100 members of the public, business owners and elderly care home residents who are struggling to come to terms with the disaster.

The head of state also took time out to commend members of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, who she said played a key role in ensuring there were no serious injuries or loss of life during the crisis.

"They were outstanding. We were on the phone everyday to people who were involved to find out how they were coping, every single day the message was the same – that the spirit was outstanding.

"All the agencies were well ready for the worst – nature gave her worst, and human nature gave back her best," she said.

Lord Mayor of Cork Dara Murphy said, despite the damage to the city, people could be proud at how communities joined to help those in need.

"We can look back with great pride on how we looked after the people of our city, and on how the people of our city looked after themselves," he said.

President McAleese’s two-day tour of the flood sites will conclude today when she will meet with other victims in Galway, Clare and Westmeath.

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Tuesday, December 22, 2009