'There is still a deep, underlying fear' one year after Storm Babet caused havoc in Midleton

Residents and businesspeople of Midleton tell Neil Michael of the stress they feel amid the continued threat of further deluges

Caroline Leahy in her home in Midleton Co Cork this time last year after it was flooded amid Storm Babet. Picture: Cian O'Regan

The sound of heavy rain brings with it a sense of fear in Midleton these days, one year on from a storm that left a town on its knees.

Caroline Leahy is as nervous now as she was last October, and she’s not alone.

The 38-year-old legal executive has panic attacks every time it rains.

One year on from the deluge that flooded her house and 60 or so others on the Midleton estate where she lives, she still gets up at night to check the levels of the nearby river.

With Storm Ashley warnings in place this weekend, she didn’t expect to sleep easy on Friday, the actual first anniversary of Storm Babet's deluge on the east Cork town.

A year on after the Storm Babet deluge in Midleton, Caroline Leahy said: 'Feelings are still very raw, especially as what many of us experienced was so catastrophic.' Picture: Noel Sweeney

She and her partner Aidan Murphy are having to shoulder a €70,000 bill for the damage flooding caused to their house.

But they are also scarred from the experience, and time has done little to heal those scars. Caroline, who is a member of the Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group, said: 

There is still a deep, underlying fear. Every time it rains, we're awake and we're walking to the river at one in the morning to check.

“We are not the only ones doing this. We know others who do it too.

“There's a guy in our group who sets an alarm to go and check. We also know of a guy in nearby Castlemartyr who just doesn't sleep when it rains.”

She said one year on and there is a feeling that the council is not on top of the situation.

Eleanor Dunlea cleaning up at Lollipop Kids on Main St, Midleton, Co Cork, in October 2023 in the wake of the Storm Babet flooding. Picture: Dan Linehan

“We want to feel that confident that the council is totally across this,” she said. “But there is not that confidence, not in our group any way.

“Feelings are still very raw, especially as what many of us experienced was so catastrophic.

Eleanor Dunlea of Lollipop Kids footwear store in Midleton, Co Cork, one year on from the devastating flooding which occured during Storm Babet. Picture: Larry Cummins

“The summer has given us a little bit of a reprieve but as the winter comes in, there's an element of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that we just are going to have until we know that we're not going to flood.

“It was such a high level of water that came in so fast that it was just terrifying.

“It wasn't just like a trickle in the door, you know. There's a massive fear of that.”

Drone photos show scale of disaster

Aerial photographs taken by Guileen Coast Guard were published in Ireland and around the world which showed the shocking extent of the flooding, with almost all the main routes in and out and open spaces completely submerged under water.

A drone photo issued by Guileen Coast Guard on October 19, 2023, gives an impression of the scale of devastation suffered by Midleton after Storm Babet. Picture: Guileen Coast Guard

Local TD James O’Connor had described the flash floods that had swept through the town at the time as “biblical” while others said they had never seen the like in living memory.

Some 600 houses were damaged, along with around 300 businesses, some of which have since closed for good.

Estimates of the total damages vary, but they are believed to be between €180m and €200m.

Work by the council since has included making sure drains are being cleared, and dredging sections of the Owenacurra River. 

While they have dismissed early warning schemes as unworkable, one has since been set up and funded by the Midleton and Area Chamber [of Commerce].

Inspired by New Zealand’s tsunami alert scheme, it has cost more than €20,000 to set up.

The inundated main street in Midleton in the wake of Storm Babet in October 2023. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

It will give businesses enough warning to move cars from the main street and surrounding yards and get stock off the floors of their shops.

About 100 of the devices have been installed along the river and in storm drains around the town.

But a big development in a town weary of its years-long fight to have its own flood relief scheme - which now won’t start until at least 2026 and will take around four years to complete - came earlier this month.

Office of Public Works (OPW) minister Kieran O’Donnell announced €5.8m in funding to Cork County Council for the installation of Individual Property Protection (IPP) measures.

These temporary flood defences will be made available to some 920 homeowners and businesses who were impacted by Storm Babet, across Midleton and east Cork.

Though grateful, residents and businesses are fully aware that the long overdue IPP measures will not be in place before winter sets in.

Florist Rachel McCarthy at Ina McCarthy for Flowers on Main Street, Midleton, a year on from the devastating flooding in October 2023. Picture: Larry Cummins

Indeed, there has been some concern about the amount of time it is taking to get anything done in Midleton to mitigate against what could happen to the town again.

Local Social Democrat councillor Liam Quaide said: “It's clear to me that each agency and each official is working hard on flood management in the aftermath of the October 2023 floods.

“However, my impression is that the teams are not adequately resourced for the scale of the challenge.

“We have seen excessive delays with important measures such as the provision of flood-gates to property owners.”

Leading Midleton Chamber of Commerce member Damien O’Brien, who runs Fox and Co Menswear in the town, said: “As a member of the business community, I am bound to want to put a positive spin on things.

“Yes, both the businesses my wife and I run have been hit by what happened and we are still recovering in that sense.

“For example, we had insurance before the flood last year, but now we don’t.

“But we and businesses in Midleton are back on our feet and very much open for business.

“Businesses have dusted themselves down and are just getting on with things.

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“For example, the late night shopping event we started last year is back on December 6 and 7, when there will be live music and various special deals available.

“The wonderful spirit that rallied around to help businesses and residents last year is still very much alive and well, regardless of how it might look from time to time.”

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