Flooding, an ‘act of God’ says Green Party leader

THE worst flooding in Ennis in living memory was described as an “act of God” by Environment Minister, John Gormley.

Minister Gormley touched down in the Ennis Marts car park in a helicopter on Saturday last and proceeded to be briefed on the extent of the flooding in the county with members of the multi-agency emergency team at Clare County Council’s headquarters.
The Green Party Minister was asked if he considered it unacceptable that over 100 families were forced to leave their homes because of rising flood waters in the town?
“The flooding in Ennis is an act of God,” he claimed. “The same thing is happening in Cumbria and various parts of Europe. Residents had to be moved in the interests of safety. I would like to compliment all the emergency services in Clare who have worked extremely well to ensure we don’t have any fatalities.
“Evacuating a house is a practical measure that has to be done when flooding occurs,” he said.
In an interview with The Clare Champion, the minister was asked if he was concerned about over-development of flood plains in Ennis and its environs?
Initially, the minister said the main focus of the Government’s response is to concentrate on the relief effort to ensure that people who need help are being looked after by the emergency response teams.
When questioned further, Minister Gormley admitted he had voiced concerns about development of flood plains and stressed he had drawn up planning guidelines to deal with building on this type of land and the overall density of housing.
Asked if the horse had effectively bolted for Ennis because these planning guidelines should have been in place 15 years ago, the minister said he always believed that something could be done to improve a situation.
He pledged to examine all the reports his department had received in terms of flooding and climate change and make the necessary changes to improve flood protection.
Asked whether the flood barrage in Clarecastle should be moved further downstream to increase the water retention capacity in the Ennis area, the minister replied he couldn’t comment on this proposal until he got a briefing from engineering experts.