Flood victim: ‘Surely something could be done’

SHE’S spent 35 years in business on the same street, cleaned up after nearly 20 floods and lost thousands of euros because of the damage.

Hairdresser Rosarie Bolster has seen it all before.

The events of the last few days aren’t much different, although she’s recently spent a lot of money improving her salon in Bridge Street, Mallow.

“It’s heartbreaking. It usually means I’m out of business for at least two days at a time,” she said after the River Blackwater flowed through the back of her salon and out the front door.

She used to live in the street up to the early 1980s, but decided to move home because of the flooding.

“I now live out on higher ground, but I still have a business here. I started here so I’ll stay with it,” she said.

Ms Bolster knew it was inevitable shops in the street would be hit because of the persistent heavy rain.

“But in this day and age surely something could be done. If it happened in Bertie Ahern’s area I’m sure we’d be looked after,” she said.

She complained there was no reduction in rates and, somewhat ironically, water charges from the local council for businesses regularly affected by flooding.

Yesterday she spent most of the day mopping up the salon and hopes to be open for business this morning.

Seamus Kelleher, who owns nearby Mallow Tiles, believes he’s lost up to €15,000 in the last few years. He pointed angrily to a flood plan published by the county council as far back as 1998. “This is the sixth time I’ve been flooded and I’ve seen survey after survey,” he said.

The Office of Public Works has confirmed it will start major flood relief works next March. “It will involve new culverts, walls, embankments and lowering the banks around Mallow bridge. It will take five to six years to complete,” a spokesman said.