Hundreds of students appeal for flood help

HUNDREDS of students have appealed for financial assistance after a flash flood damaged their rented homes in Athlone at the weekend.

Almost 100 students and more than 20 other households were placed in emergency accommodation after the Willow Park estate was covered by more than three feet of water on Sunday afternoon.

Athlone Institute of Technology students union said up to 700 students are living in rented homes on the private estate, just across the road from the college. Around 80 of them slept in the institute’s campus gym on Sunday night, while emergency services worked to relieve the situation.

“In the worst-case scenario, the water was up to the eighth step in some of these houses. Students have lost clothes, college books and notes and some of them have lost lap-top computers and other valuable equipment,” said union president Ian Harnett.

“The water has gone down today but some of the houses are still uninhabitable because of the damage and we’re trying to organise accommodation for them. We are appealing for emergency funding from the Government for the losses suffered by the students,” he said.

The River Al, a tributary of the Shannon, flowed over an upstream culvert on Sunday morning, running over fields and onto the estate by lunchtime.

Westmeath County Council helped gardaí, fire brigade and army personnel limit the damage by building a temporary dam throughout the evening, and the clean-up operation was continuing yesterday.

“This was probably caused by more than twice the average rainfall last month, but we had inspected the culvert last week and the water was no higher than normal after prolonged rain,” a council spokesman said.

“We provided accommodation for four families, 14 couples and four individuals on Sunday night and will probably do so again tonight.

He said it would be a matter for individual house owners to make claims with their own insurers arising from the damage.

Many students have not yet returned to Athlone after hearing about the flooding before they returned after the weekend.

Dozens of classes were virtually empty yesterday as students tried to salvage their belongings. The college also arranged meals for affected students.