Devastating floods - Criticism of councils deserved

DIRE warnings that global warming will lead to devastating floods became a grim reality yesterday as homeowners and shopkeepers began mopping up damage costing millions of euro in Munster and Leinster.

Not surprisingly, local authorities have come in for criticism from angry traders and motorists as the waters receded and the task of cleaning up debris got underway along the south and east coasts from Cork to Youghal, Dungarvan, Waterford, New Ross, Wexford, and Arklow.

Across the country, thousands of homes were left without electricity and railway lines had to be closed, including the links between Wicklow and Greystones; Cork and Cobh; the Gorey commuter and Rosslare intercity services, and the Waterford to Kilkenny line.

As the storm intensified, the Coastguard issued a serious pollution warning when 1,300 tons of diesel began leaking from cargo ship Sea Brie which ran onto rocks near Kinsale, causing a mile-long oil slick in an area noted for bird life.

It goes without saying that local councils are powerless to prevent major floods caused by a combination of high tides and gale-force winds.

But people have a right to be angry when city and town councils fail to close off flooded streets or to erect warning notices in time. The problems have been exacerbated because council workers were not deployed to clear drains, effectively redoubling the extent of flooding in Cork city, where some streets resemble bomb sites amid ongoing roadworks.

Unfortunately, the actions of thoughtless motorists who drive through floods at undue speed made things worse.

For the umpteenth time, the river Blackwater, swollen by rainfall, has burst its banks, swamping houses and shops in Mallow and Fermoy. Local people can be forgiven for wondering when anti-flood measures will be in place there. They are long overdue.

The cost of repairing flood damage can be absolutely prohibitive and inevitably, the question of compensation arises. However, this has been ruled out by the Office of Public Works on the basis that Government funding is sanctioned only in severe cases of emergency humanitarian aid.

This happened twice in 2002, a year of particularly severe flooding. In February, €8.5m went to 700 households across seven counties and in November €5 million was extended to a further 700 homeowners when the Tolka river burst its banks, flooding parts of Meath and Dublin, including the constituency of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Last winter, 75 victims of the Mayo landslide received €300,000.

Doubtless, many of those who have seen their homes ruined in the latest deluge will also qualify for humanitarian aid. They should inundate Junior Minister Tom Parlon with requests for aid.

In areas where flooding occurs on a regular basis as a result of infrastructure failure, the Government should introduce community rating for insurance purposes.

According to scientists, Ireland can expect even worse flooding in future. The strong evidence is that global warming, caused by greenhouse gases, is rapidly triggering climate change.

As sea levels rise, there will be more water, greater precipitation and that means more flooding.

The Kyoto agreement on energy use is the major key to this crisis. The blind refusal of US President George W Bush to implement the accord is putting countless lives at risk. This despite the fact that global warming poses a far greater threat to the world than terrorism.

But the Irish Government also bears a heavy responsibility to tackle more aggressively this country’s emissions which are the fifth-largest in the world.