'Tough day' as West Cork residents pick up pieces following devastating floods
A local councillor has claimed the roads in West Cork were in disrepair before recent flooding incidents.
Cllr Joe Carroll said the roads were in a terrible state before the flooding issue over the last number of days.
No money was available for roads over the years meaning they were not maintained and the recent flooding has added to the current problems, he said.
"The roads in West Cork have gone to such a level that we've been told by engineers that what should be done once in every six years can now only be done once every 25 years. [The roads] disintegrated, they weren't capable of taking this," he told C103.
"We have to talk to the OPW, we have to talk to many people because the fences aren't being cut, the drains are being blocked, the water has nowhere to go, it must go somewhere. We have to take into account that this was a freak flood, but then again we are going to get freak floods."
Emergency funding is being requested to repair the roads in the region.
Senator Tim Lombard said he spoke with residents over the weekend in Rathbarry and Rosscarbery in West Cork who were upset looking at personal items destroyed by floodwaters, such as family photos and wedding pictures.
"I was in a house in Rosscarbery yesterday, there must have been five feet of water there on the first [day of floods]. It wasn't as bad on the second," he said, adding a significant amount of damage took place in the area to property and personal items.
"Family heirlooms like family photographs [were destroyed]. [I heard] really sad stories. People really were emotional. They had gotten over the shock [of the floods] and they were looking at their properties, looking at all the stuff they collected over the years all being put into a skip to be sent away. It was quite an emotional day.
"It was a tough day for the residents of Rosscarbery. One person had a wedding photograph of parents they've lost [that was ] damaged. There was another resident I'd never met before and before I got to him he began crying.
"When I was there there was a weather warning put out for the following night and they were very fearful about what was going to happen over the next few days. The level of water is still very high and obviously the roads were very badly damaged. There was a fear of what's going to happen if this weather continues."
Mr Lombard said some residents told him the last time their home had flooded was in 1961 due to tidal floods.
"This was very unusual. The level of rain that fell here in a two or three-hour period I thought was 50ml. I was talking to some lads and they were saying three or four inches which is nearly 100ml. It was beyond belief. It literally was a flash flood, [something that happens] once in 100 years.
"On the other side, there are significant structural issues there that have to be addressed. Small but very important jobs need to be looked at immediately in Rosscarbery."
Cllr Deirdre Kelly says Dunmanway was devastated on Saturday morning with Chapel Street, Church Street and Woodbrook Bridge destroyed by floodwaters.
"The houses on Chapel Street, the water came in through the houses so the ground floors of those properties were destroyed," she said.
"Woodbrook Bridge was particularly bad. A wall had to be knocked to allow the water through. It transpired that Woodbrook Bridge, which would be made up of three archways, the water didn't have a clean run-through because two of the archways were blocked due to vegetation growth, it impeded the natural flow of the water. That was partly to blame for the flooding in that area."
The N71 reopened to all traffic at Rosscarbery yesterday.
Cork County Council urged motorists to exercise caution on all roads and in particular not to drive through floodwaters. It said road crews are working on the worst affected roads and continue to monitor the situation closely.
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