Mansergh visits flood-affected areas

More work may need to be undertaken to alleviate the risk of further flood damage in South Galway, according to the Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works.
Junior Minister Martin Mansergh was in South Galway on Monday to meet with local public representatives and those in the areas worst affected by flooding.
Minister Mansergh was accompanied on his tour of the area by Fianna Fáil deputies Noel Treacy and Michéal Kitt, as well as Councillor Gerry Finnerty.
According to Minister Mansergh, the purpose of his visit to East and South Galway was to discuss with local representatives and those badly affected by last November’s unprecedented flooding in the area “the plans and proposed works needed to prevent or minimise the risks of a recurrence”.
“People are very frustrated by the pace things are moving at generally in relation to flood relief. People want to see machinery in operation and see work being done. What they are asking is ‘give us some hope’. I think, at the moment, people are living in fear and I don’t think anyone should live in fear. People that were out of their houses and those that are back and even those that are not, they are afraid that without insurance they will be out of their homes again,” Councillor Finnerty said. 
“A lot of people in South Galway are waiting on the insurance to pay out. Monday’s exercise was to visit areas that were worst affected, where people are out of their homes and for the minister to see for himself the damage that was caused to these houses, which people are still unable to live in. We only came across two houses that had been damaged, where reconstruction had begun. Some homes are in a desperate mess, with the smell of sewage and damp, with mortar falling off walls in some places and cracks in others. It is utter devastation for people,” councillor Finnerty said.
The local councillor is also keen to point out that for many people, insurance is of little use.
“Your heart would go out to these people. Many are left in limbo. Some people have insurance but it is not adequate to cover the damage that has been done. Others have drawn the insurance and if they reinvest it to building or redeveloping on the site of their home, what happens if they get flooded again? Then where are they left?” he asked. 
The majority of the people the minister and his party colleagues met with on Monday are unable to return to live in their homes.
“The people we met are still living in rented accommodation. That is being paid for by the HSE or by insurance in some cases but the only place these people want to be is back in their homes or reinstated in their own areas,” Councillor Finnerty said.
“We heard during the week that there is no relocation scheme from the Government. I asked the minister to look at humanitarian aid. €10 million was labelled for humanitarian aid. €9 million remains unspent. I would argue that we should look at that. Let’s see if we can give people a lump-sum payment which, combined with the insurance, would mean they would have some options and be able to decide what to do next,” Councillor Finnerty added.
Minister Mansergh visited Menlo, Claregalway, Gort and Athenry on Monday before meeting a number of local people in the Lady Gregory Hotel in Gort that evening.
“There were a lot of farmers at that meeting expressing serious concerns about the amount of flooding of farm land. Thousands of acres across South Galway were under water and some of it still is. The land damage is so widespread that I can’t see any compensation coming for it.
“But the outcry isn’t for compensation, people are looking for a solution to make sure that the damage is undone and not repeated. I find the same with people who are out of their homes. They want a solution and that is what they look forward to,” Councillor Finnerty concluded.
Speaking to The Clare Champion after his visit, Minister Mansergh stated that minor relief works introduced last year ahead of the November flooding would be of help to some areas, he conceded that more works might be necessary.
“While most people have either moved back into their homes or are preparing to do so, once refurbishment works are complete, a few people are unable to do so. Given how traumatic the event was, many people fear a recurrence of flooding, even though the statistical risk may be, in theory, very low.
“The primary responsibility of OPW is to improve the protection of people, homes and businesses, where it is possible to do so. In a very few cases, there may not be an engineering solution.
“However, the Minister for Finance has recently stated that there are no plans to introduce a relocation scheme.
“There are a lot of studies underway and a rolling programme of minor relief works introduced in mid-summer 2009, which should alleviate the risk in most areas, when they are completed. In certain cases, more major works may have to be undertaken,” Minister Mansergh concluded.