Town escapes flood damage

Flash flood waters that swept through Clonakilty after a torrential deluge were followed yesterday by a collective sigh of relief in the West Cork town.

Much of the town was spared flood damage thanks to flood protection gates and sandbags erected outside homes and businesses.

But at Connolly St, the centre of the devastating flood nine weeks ago, drains unable to deal with the sheer volume of water overflowed, causing damage at three premises.

Ger Harte owns some 10 properties in the area. Cleaning out a unit on Connolly St vacated in the wake of the previous flood, he said the problem was man-made and the solution should be, too.

“There are a lot of angry people in Clonakilty today. You can talk about an act of God but the reality is at least seven or eight flood plains were built on, around the town. We are paying the price for that now,” he said.

There are no immediate plans to implement flood protection measures.

Temporary solutions include an emergency pipe network to allow flood waters flow into the bay at the Waterfront development, one of the town’s former flood plains.

A second solution is the provision of a retention lake that could act as a dam to stop the flow of water into the town from the western end, Mr Harte said.

Next door at Bella Napoli, restaurateur Giovanni Perrozzi’s family are sweeping out flood waters. A flood barrier blocking the doorway proved useless as the water rose up from a drain in the kitchen.

“We lost everything the last time, including €15,000 worth of food. If this happens again, businesses will begin to close down because no one has insurance now. You can’t afford to lose money like this every couple of months,” he said.

Fax Bridge, EuroSpar, and Wolfe Tone St were impassable for up to three hours on Tuesday before flood waters receded at 11pm.

Clonakilty Mayor Cionnaith O’Suilleabhain advised residents to be “as prepared” for future flash flooding.

The heavy overnight rain led to the cancellation of the opening fixture of Killarney’s four-day meeting, scheduled for last evening.

However, today’s meeting is due to go ahead as planned.