Flood defence measures sanctioned

THE Government has approved a raft of new flood defence measures for Ennis, but fears remained yesterday that the proposals are too late for Clare’s county town if more flooding occurs.

Last November, a €9 million flood relief scheme for Ennis prevented much of the town centre being under water.

In the aftermath of the floods last year, Ennis town manager Ger Dollard said that, without the flood defences, the Mill Road, the Market, Parnell Street, Lower Hermitage, the Parnell Street car park and O’Connell Street would have been flooded. However, one year on, other parts of Ennis flooded last year, such as the Watery Road, remain vulnerable.

Fine Gael’s Joe Carey said yesterday: “If a major flooding event were to happen this year, I don’t believe enough has been done in the intervening period to prevent similar damage to property happening.”

According to senior council engineer Tom Tiernan, the second phase of the flood relief scheme has gone to tender and is scheduled to get under way in the near future. He said work is already under way on the €250,000 Aughanteeroe Flood Relief Scheme on the north side of Ennis and will be completed shortly.

Mr Tiernan also itemised other flood defence schemes around Ennis, but work has yet to start on them — the development of a flood relief scheme in the St Flannan’s /Ballybeg Area on the south side of Ennis and design work is ongoing in relation to schemes in the Watery Road, Elm Park and Fior Uisce areas of Ennis.

“A number of small flood relief schemes have been implemented in the north Clare area at a cost of approximately €200,000 — grant aided by the OPW to the tune of €150,000,” Mr Tiernan said. “Clare County Council has reviewed, and will continue to review, its inventory of flood defence infrastructure and equipment and is continuing to develop and improve its response strategies in the face of prospective major flood events as resources permit.

“While the response of the council and other agencies to the flood events of November 2009 was as effective as it could have been in the circumstances and has been acknowledged as such, there is always room for improvement.

“Records were retained in relation to all of the locations where flooding became a problem and these records have been/will be of benefit in the design of flood relief schemes and in informing the council’s Emergency Response Strategy as required in future.

“In general, all relevant agencies will have benefited significantly from the experiences of a year ago in the event that such a situation should arise again. I believe a national flood early warning system needs to be developed and funded. This is particularly relevant to areas like Co Clare which have been prone to flooding in the past. The latest update I have from Government on this is that a study will report back early next year, but again we could be years away from the implementation of any such system.”

‘It’s hard to settle. I still don’t feel like it’s my home’

ENNIS resident Martina Whelan said yesterday she still feels nervous in her own home because she fears flooding that took place in her home last November will re-occur.

Twelve months ago, Martina was forced to evacuate her home on Shallee Drive, Ennis, along with her 11-year-old daughter, Clionadh, who has cystic fibrosis and her son, Ian.

Along with 105 Ennis residents evacuated from their flooded homes, Martina and her children were accommodated on an emergency basis at Ennis’s West County Hotel.

Lone parent Martina and her two children remained at the hotel until two weeks before Christmas before being accommodated at an apartment in Ennis, where they remained until March.

Martina admitted yesterday she still hasn’t fully settled back into her home on Shallee Drive.

She said: “It’s very hard to settle. I don’t feel it’s my home.”

Martina remembers vividly the events of November 19 last year. She said: “The water was rising and rising throughout the day and the water came to your hip.”

She had lived in the home for 10 years “and it was gone in 20 minutes”. Martina said there had been no option but to leave the home as the Civil Defence had warned her of the dangers of her electricity making contact with the rising waters. She was evacuated by members of the Civil Defence and transferred to the West County that weekend.

She said: “People thought we were having a great time at the West County.

“The staff did their best but it was an awful experience as we just had a room and a plastic bag.”

Last year, the flood ruined Christmas presents that Martina had stored away in her home.

She added: “It didn’t feel like Christmas last year and it doesn’t feel like Christmas this year.”

She said the council has not done enough during the year to prevent further flooding episodes.

She said: “I am worried that we could be flooded again.

“The levels in the river have been high and I don’t think the council has done enough to clean the river and make sure that what happened last year doesn’t happen this winter.”