Residents hit for fourth time plead for flood barriers

By Niall Murray - Saturday, June 30, 2012

Residents and business- owners in flood-risk areas should be given protective barriers to prevent a repeat of the damage done to their homes from this week’s deluge — a Cork City councillor has claimed.

Parts of Blackpool on the city’s northside are counting the cost for a fourth time in a decade after heavy downpours on Wednesday night caused the River Bride to cascade into the village.

Some families have had no insurance since the first event in 2002 and have asked the council to supply flood barriers that can be placed across doorways.

Labour Party councillor Catherine Clancy says the council should look at providing them, particularly to social houses and other council-owned properties.

She said something particularly needed to be done for residents who could not get insurance for their homes or contents because of flooding this week or in the past.

"They [Cork City Council] shouldn’t be waiting for a flood warning, we should identify and prioritise areas that have been flooded a number of times and they should be supplied with sandbags or have a place to pick them up," she said.

For Ken O’Donovan, owner of O’Donovan’s off-licence on Blackpool’s Thomas Davis St, it was business almost-as-usual by 7pm on Thursday.

He and his staff had spent the day cleaning the shop by torchlight, and most of their fridges had survived.

The family’s off-licence in Douglas was also affected but it is also back trading.

Blackpool’s Church of the Annunciation, where major renovations were completed last year, was also hit. Parish priest Fr John O’Donovan said weekend Masses would be moved to the nearby community centre, with an additional service at St Brendan’s in the Glen.

He praised the ever-present, neighbourly spirit in the area, where hot drinks and sandwiches have been in constant supply at the Blackpool Community Centre during the clean-up.

Civil Defence volunteers were involved with fire service crews in rescuing people from their swamped homes in many areas of the city, including Ballyvolane, and offering shelter at the local fire station.

"We have about 70 volunteers available but we don’t want people taking days off, so we were very pleased to get 25 people out on Thursday," said Veronica Forde, assistant civil defence officer with Cork City Council.

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