East Cork group protests at Dáil over lack of action following flood devastation

Tue, 20 Feb, 2024 - 17:00

Imasha Costa

A 15,000-signature petition has been delivered to the Dáil from protestors angry at what they claim is a lack of urgency to protect East Cork from future flood devastation.

Five months ago, businesses and homes in Midleton were damaged following severe flooding due to Storm Babet last October.

Homes were destroyed, businesses on the main street closed, and families and children have since been living in “fear”, especially when it starts raining, the Midleton and East Cork Flood Action Group said, as they protested outside the Dáil in an effort to highlight the lack of urgency in providing measures to protect the areas from flooding.

The group presented a petition which has garnered nearly 15,000 signatures to politicians at Leinster House.

Chairperson for the group, Mona Stromsoe, said they are hoping that the Government will “do something and encourage Cork County Council or the Office of Public Works” (OPW) to put some interim measures in place to prevent the East Cork area from flooding again.

“We understand that the substance system is going to take a number of years, we don’t fully understand why it takes that long. It has been explained to us, but we are not happy with the information,” Ms Stromsoe told the Irish Examiner.

She claimed that there are “lots of smaller” measures that could be taken, which would need an overview from the council and the OPW, but “there does not seem to be the will to do it”.

“We are being told that you can put your property back together, but this could happen again anytime. It happened in 2015, it could happen again next year, the year after — who is to say it won’t happen next week?

“Our Government is supposed to protect us, and we feel that this isn’t the case, that we have been abandoned and left to our own devices.” Ms Stromsoe added that people have been living in fear watching the river rise in recent weeks, where on some occasions, it has nearly overflowed.

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She added that a person’s home should be a safe space but “isn’t anymore”.

“People can’t sleep at night, especially when it is raining. The kids are scared, the people are scared.”

Following the flooding in Midleton, the Government opened two emergency business flooding schemes for those who were unable to secure flood insurance. Up to €100,000 was made available to businesses who were not able to get flood insurance.

However, homeowners were dealt with by the community welfare officers. Estimates were given, but works had to be completed before they were reimbursed.

Ms Stromsoe added that one family was given an estimate of over €60,000 by builders but were only offered €33,000 by the welfare officers. She said that the family did not have the money to complete the works, and was instead given an interim payment.

“None of us have €60,000 sitting in the bank account that we can just spend, so they have received the interim payment and they have done as much as they can, but they are not going to be able to complete the work,” Ms Stromsoe said.

“And there are an awful lot of people in that situation again. There are people with lower estimates who I think have done a little bit better, but for those with the higher estimates, they’re not helpful.

“And if they do spend all this money on their homes, the risk is this can happen again again next week, next month, next year.

“The people feel abandoned and let down by the government. They pay their taxes. All these years, they all worked. Some of them are retired now, and their homes are destroyed.”

Funding to deal with storms wholly inadequate – Cork County Council