Cowen praises positive attitudes

AN Taoiseach Brian Cowen commended the resilience of the people of Clare in the aftermath of some of the worst flooding ever to hit the county. The Taoiseach visited Ennis as part of an itinerary that included trips to other flood-hit areas, such as Cork and Ballinasloe.

After landing at the mart, the Taoiseach met residents from the Gort Road and Francis Street and inspected waterlogged premises at the Gort Road Industrial Estate before being briefed at the Crisis Management Centre at the Clare County Council headquarters on New Road.
“I understand that in Francis Street, this is the first time flooding has taken place there. I think people are very resilient and are getting on with it. The clean-up is beginning and people want to get back into their homes quickly. Obviously, any assistance that the local authority and local people can give will be given, I’m sure,” he stated.
“People are adapting. I met some people in the Gort Road Industrial Estate. One particular firm is back in operation this afternoon after having five or six inches of water this morning and yesterday morning and another firm was lucky in that they seemed not to have any problem,” he said on Monday.
“It is great to see that people have a positive attitude. They are getting on with what has happened and people are very resilient. They are very anxious to get back to their homes and to get their business back into operation and to keep jobs going,” the Taoiseach added.
Mr Cowen praised emergency services, local authorities and volunteers for their response to the flooding.
“The work that has been done has mitigated the worst effects of the floods and there is obviously the continuing challenge of the Shannon basin and what could happen there. We are watching the South-East Clare situation very carefully at the moment so it is an ongoing situation.
“Priorities change every day. I do think the critical factor for success in dealing with this problem is that there are personnel with frontline experience who know how to deal with this and see what the priorities are in every locality. They have the local knowledge and are getting on with co-ordinating the response and I think it is very commendable what has been happening,” he stated.
While defending past planning decisions, which he said were made in “good faith”, An Taoiseach confirmed that lessons would be learned in the future with regard to planning policy.
“You have to look at all aspects of this. This is an unprecedented situation and not every situation that arises is foreseeable,” he said of the extensive flooding in Clare.
“At the end of the day based on our experience, lessons will be learned now for the future but it doesn’t take away from the bona fides of decisions that have been taken already with respect to developments. We just have to manage and learn as we go along and make sure decisions are taken and plans are put in place that can now adequately, with the most up-to-date data, make the modifications needed for the future,” he concluded.