Nomadic existence enters third week for Clare family who abandoned home

A family of six, who abandoned their home in the floods three weeks ago, say they are likely to spend New Year’s Eve scattered across relatives’ homes.

For Mike and Liz Hogan, the nightmare continues after Storm Desmond, which hit late last month.

On December 9, they left their home in Clonlara, in south-east Clare, for emergency accommodation in a hotel over the county border in Limerick. They were also forced to leave their home in 2009, when floods previously decimated their area.

After two weeks of living apart from one another, in relatives’ houses, Mike, Liz, and their sons, Mark, 18, and Sean, 17, and daughters Aoife, 12, and and Sarah, 26, spent a few hours together on Christmas Day, under the one roof, thanks to Liz’s mother.

“We all woke up Christmas morning all together, in one house — in Liz’s sister’s house — which was great, and then we went visiting,” said Mike.

“We stayed in Liz’s mother’s house and we cooked our dinner up there, and it was grand. We had a fire on and we were all able to sit down for a couple of hours together.”

On Christmas Eve, Liz, tried to reach their home after she was told the waters had receded, but the family car was overwhelmed by water and she had to be rescued by members of the Limerick City and County Fire and Rescue Service.

“We are definitely out for the New Year,” said Mike.

With a young daughter and two sons studying for their Leaving and Junior Cert exams, the Hogans said they could not stay in their home, which is still surrounded by several feet of contaminated floodwater.

Every few days, Mike and Liz check in at the swamped house, making a journey by boat or in waders.

“We just went in and bleached everything, because the septic tank is not working,” said Mike.

“We are going to try to see what the story is now about getting more secure accommodation.”

“We can’t be all staying in separate homes with relations for extended periods of time.”

“The kids are ringing Liz all the time, looking to see when they are going home.

“We went down to our house yesterday, and at the front gates it was above my knees. If we were to try and get in the back, it’s up to our waist. It’s a no-go.”

Liz said: “There was a lot of tears over Christmas.

“The water is on my thighs at out front gate, so we have to climb over a neighbour’s fence to get to ours.”

The Hogans are in talks with Clare County Council to secure accommodation in Limerick, where they work and where their children go to school.