Agencies under fire over flood work delays

STATE agencies have been accused of dragging their feet and of failing to protect Cork city from floods.

The criticism comes days after the city council issued its first tidal flood warning of the winter, and almost a year after last November’s devastating flood.

The weekend alert sparked fear in several city communities which were swamped in last year’s massive flood.

Sandbags were not available in some areas and several of last year’s flood victims left their homes on Friday night when the river Lee burst its banks, flooding several low-lying parts of the city.

City manager Tim Lucey was quizzed on Monday night about the weekend alert and about what has been done since last November’s flood to protect the city in the future.

Councillors reacted angrily when it emerged that:

* No significant remedial works have been carried out since the 2009 flood.

* A tortuous funding, tendering and design process involving the city council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has delayed the repair of two flood-damaged quay walls for almost a year.

* An early flood warning text alert system has not been developed.

* An information telephone line issued by the city council last Friday as part of its tidal flood alert was not manned after 6pm.

* The city council does not have resources to stockpile or deploy sandbags.

Cllr John Buttimer (FG) grilled the manager on what lessons have been learned since the city’s emergency plan was activated last November 19.

“The citizens of Cork have no concept of what was done [last November], why it was done, did it work, and what lessons have been learned,” he said.

Cllr Thomas Gould (SF) praised the accuracy of last weekend’s warning but said: “We didn’t seem to have procedures or plans in place.”

But Mr Lucey defended the city council and said “it is simply not true to say that nothing has been done”.

“I understand the level of public unease last weekend which was no doubt coloured by the incidents of last November,” he said.

“But there has been significant involvement with the ESB and other agencies leading to increased communication.”

A spokesman for the OPW said it allocated €900,000 from its minor flood protection works to the city council in June to pay for repairs of the quay walls at Grenville Place and Sunday’s Well.

Mr Lucey said: “Construction will commence late 2010 or early 2011 at the latest.”