‘Tsunami of water swept cars down the street’
The River Feagle burst its swollen banks at a bend in the river on the Western Road at around 3am, sending torrents of water through the town “like a tsunami,” Mayor Cionnaith Ó Suilleabháin said.
Business and homeowners worked to save their properties but had to evacuate once the flood waters hit.
A student of Darragh Agricultural College is recovering in Cork University Hospital after falling into the flood waters and receiving electric shocks. He fell after losing balance in the water on Wolfe Tone St.
“There was a couple of people trapped in houses and basements in ground floor flats and our priority was to get everyone out safe,” said Clonakilty fire station officer Patrick Murphy.
“Every household and business from Western Road to Faxbridge and all the adjoining streets were destroyed.”
Ellen O’Connor was trapped in Spiller’s Lane having worked overnight at her workplace, Jellyfish Surf Shop.
“Around 3am, we were told the river flood was coming. Within 15 minutes, the water level rose to about 3.5ft and burst through the flood barrier. We tried to get out, but we couldn’t.”
At dawn, the water began to abate, allowing the group to leave.
“The current was so powerful it was ridiculous to try, but when it slowed we held hands and clung to the walls to wade out.”
No business in the town centre was spared. By mid-morning, gardaí were calling to premises warning of reports of attempted looting. The force of the river claimed a 40ft section of stone wall from the car park off Kent St. Part of the wall was swept down the street sending cars spinning.
Town clerk Justin England said the level of structural damage would be assessed once the clean-up is complete.
“The force of the water took the wall away in two different places. You had to be here to see it, there was cars floating down the street.”
Robert Walsh of Walsh Printing was forced to evacuate his Rossa St premises shortly after 3am when the water breached floodgates installed to protect the building. It was also badly damaged by floods in Nov 2009.
“We had to run out of the building in the end; by that stage, the whole town was underwater. It’s a disaster,” he said.
Businesses, already affected by the recession, face an uphill battle now, he said. “It’s the result of bad planning over the years, flood plains built on and no contingency plan by the council. Bandon got destroyed the last time, Clonakilty got it this time, the town is devastated today. A lot of us won’t survive this.”
On Connolly St, Sheila O’Regan of CMOR Financial Services said she was facing damages of up to €20,000.
By midday yesterday, however, the town’s community spirit had kicked in, with a call-out by the Clonakilty Favour Exchange for volunteers to assist fire crews, council staff, councillors, gardaí, the Red Cross and 25 members of the Civil Defence in one of the biggest clean-up operations in the town’s 400-year history.
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