Midleton flood scheme 'ready to go to planning' says Ryan

Breda Sisk and Fionnula Coakley clearing flood water from the HomeSavers store on Main Street, Midleton Co Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

The flood relief scheme for Midleton is "ready to go to planning" and there should be no reason not to plough ahead with it, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has said.

Mr Ryan visited businesses in Midleton on Friday to assess the damage and the challenge of rebuilding the battered East Cork town.

Referring to the flood relief scheme that is long in the mix for Midleton, with starting dates of 2025 mooted in recent years, Mr Ryan said: "I think it should go through as fast as we can, you have to get the process right, but they know what the preferred option is."

The complex nature of Midleton's surrounding geography is going to be a challenge, he said.

"It’s complicated because there are six different flood relief zones, as it were, around the town. It's complicated by the fact that you have groundwater coming up, it is not just the river coming down. That is a real challenge. Water levels are very high, we’ve had a very wet summer. Usually the summer would see that drop down but it... the more intense rainfall doesn’t help," Mr Ryan said.

In relation to the €10m flood damage relief fund announced for the town, Mr Ryan said it should be "flexible".

Fears have been expressed by many business owners that red tape could unnecessarily delay getting vital funds into hands quickly, as bills add up due to the extensive damage caused by Storm Babet.

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan TD, listening to the views of local man Liam Coppinger. Picture: David Keane

The initial €5,000 for businesses, along with further €20,000 grant aid, will not nearly be enough, many business owners warned Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on Thursday when he arrived to assess the damage.

Mr Ryan said: "Government is going to have to help. There will have to be some flexibility here and assess what the damage is. While the scale of this is beyond anything we have seen in recent years, it is not unprecedented. We have used those funds before so we will deploy them quickly. We have existing mechanisms, we should use them, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

"Everyone is working collectively to do everything we can to try and protect the people of the town, and the Government is going to do everything we can to try and protect those households and businesses that have been flooded. That is our first thought because it is a heartbreaking thing to see."

Climate change is going to make such events more frequent and intense, Mr Ryan added.

Maynooth University's Icarus Climate Research Centre has just published a peer-reviewed paper in the journal Weather and Climate Extreme showing evidence of human-induced climate change since 1850 has led directly to more flood events around the country.

One of the many skips filled with damaged goods as a result of the flooding in Midleton Co Cork. Picture: David Keane

Weather stations across the country are experiencing substantial increases in winter rainfall per degree of global warming, indicating considerable increases in flood risk, Icarus said.

Mr Ryan said: "It is a sad reality. It is hitting home and heavy rainfall events particularly. It is not just the volume or averages, it is concentrated in particular areas, a month's rainfall in one day. It is the short intensive different types of rain patterns we are seeing. Icarus is right."