Floods: Works on anti-flood system to start by June
Mr Harris spoke with householders and business-owners in Bandon and Skibbereen — affected yet again by flooding — to outline to them a timescale for the flood-prevention works.
Mr Harris faced a barrage of questions about the delays to both schemes, especially in Bandon, which suffered more than any Co Cork town in the past fortnight.
Clean-up of floods will cost millions of euro says minister https://t.co/r7FHZ2DtM8 via @Junomaco (DOD) pic.twitter.com/1ri7OOZ8f0
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 14, 2015
It was somewhat ironic that he met many flood victims at the Red Cross office at the aptly named Weir St in Bandon. It was flooded itself the weekend before last and barely escaped last weekend.
There, he outlined the aid Government has set up for small businesses to help them recover from the latest calamity. It will be the Red Cross which will administer the first €5,000 in aid being made available to them.
Mr Harris said funding was fully in place for the Bandon works, nine tenders had applied, and he expected work to start on the project by next June at the latest and take 24 to 30 months to complete.
Aerial footage shows extent of floods in Cork, 'above normal' levels of rain forecast this… https://t.co/V4em5FMKPq pic.twitter.com/pXa12GQTOp
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 14, 2015
He said in the interim Cork County Council had agreed to carry out works which would help the situation, such as strengthening embankments near Lidl, procuring more pumping equipment and modifying water escape valves.
However, he ruled out dredging the river — which many locals want — as he “didn’t want to jeapordise” the scheme. This was a reference to a possible legal challenge against such work by Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI).
Editor of The Opinion magazine in Bandon, Eddie Goggin, told Mr Harris that IFI “had far too much power” and flood victims in the town were suffering from “emotional and financial scars” through repeated years of flooding.
“We lost 131 businesses in Bandon from 2007 to 2014,” said Mr Goggin. “A lot were due to the recession, but a lot too because of flooding.”
Limerick and Athlone brace for more floods https://t.co/uVD4K1dx4M pic.twitter.com/qMKNS9sQOw
— Irish Examiner (@irishexaminer) December 14, 2015
Daniel Quatrana’s fast food restaurant was wiped out in the 2009 flood. It took him 18 months to reopen due to wrangling with his insurers. He got hit again in the latest flood, which left 1ft of water in his premises.
“I’m living in Bandon since 1978 and it’s the same story every year [about the planned flood works],” said Mr Quatrana. “We want this sorted out once and for all. My premium has gone up, but I’m not covered for flooding, how can that be?”
Mr Harris said the Government was looking at this and how other countries addressed the issue of insurance companies refusing to quote flood cover.
Noel O’Connor, whose wife Theresa runs a clothes shop in Pearse St, was also after definite timelines for the work and for them to be kept to.
Pat Fitzgerald of the local Red Cross branch said they helped distribute bottled water and blankets to victims and supplies of these were now stockplied in three locations around the town.
“People are at the end of their tether, it can’t be easy for them,” he said.
Con Lenihan, owner of Lenihan’s Menswear, showed Mr Harris the latest damage to his shop.
“We’re stressed out to the last. All the doors were damaged, the skirting boards, carpets etc,” he said.
Mr Harris said the OPW would have €430m to spend on flood defence works in the country up to 2021.
He later told concerned people in Skibbereen, who have also been flooded on numerous occasions in recent years, that he expected their flood protection work will get underway next summer.
“The flood prevention scheme will provide protection to 310 properties in Skibbereen, 179 of which are residential,” said Mr Harris.
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