Clonakilty flooded for third time since June

Nearly 10 times the rain forecast by Met Éireann fell in Clonakilty, Co Cork yesterday morning, leading to the third flood in the town since June.

Fortunately, the prompt action of the emergency services and town council workers prevented a repeat of the devastating scenes witnessed on Jun 28 and the damage that was caused again on Aug 28.

Roads and drains were flooded during yesterday’s deluge, but fortunately only a couple of premises suffered minor damage.

Met Éireann had forecast 2mm of rain, but 23mm fell in the area in what council officials termed a localised “convective storm”.

The mayor of Clonakilty, Cllr Cionnaith Ó Súilleabháin, said local people were “getting more and more frightened” by the regularity of the flooding.

“This is now happening every couple of months. Psychologically it’s appalling for people who have suffered already and wonder if they are going to suffer again every time it rains.

“We were fortunate this time there wasn’t much damage, but if the rain had continued it could have been a lot worse,” Mr Ó Súilleabháin said.

He said it was imperative that planned flood alleviation works get under way as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

County engineer Noel O’Keeffe said members of the town council, Civil Defence and the gardaí reacted very quickly to the rising water. The peak of the heavy rain occurred between 12.30am and 2am.

He said the extreme rainfall caused the problem, but fortunately the river was low, limiting the damage.

Meanwhile, Mr Ó Súilleabháin said it was vital a representative of every house and business that was flooded on Jun 28 attends a meeting in the town hall next Tuesday, where OPW officials will hold a public consultation process on long-term flood measures to protect the town.

“The OPW is now the sole body responsible for the long-term permanent flood defences of the town, and the public consultation on Tuesday is the first step in this process,” said Mr Ó Súilleabháin.

“If people have photos, videos or any other evidence, I encourage them to bring these along also to show the OPW. They will in effect be collecting what I hope will be hundreds of little pieces of the jigsaw the OPW need to find a solution,” said Cllr Ó Súilleabháin.

Consultation will take place between 3pm and 8pm in the Old Mill Library and council offices, Kent St.