What does the future hold for flood victims?

LAST November, flood waters cascaded down Gort’s Crowe Street and into a number of homes and business premises in the town and in its hinterland.
Six months on and the town is finding its feet but some South Galway residents remain out of their homes and wondering whether to return in the face of possible future flooding.
There were particularly dramatic scenes in Beagh where on November 20 last, Hughie O’Donnell and his family, including his two teenage children and his 86-year-old mother, were airlifted to safety after floodwaters breached their home and rose to in excess of four feet.
“I’m not back at home yet. We live in a rented house in town,” Hughie outlines.
“There was a lot of damage done but it could be reparable. The real question for us is whether or not to spend the money on a house that could be flooded again next winter,” he reflects.
“I am out of pocket and out of my home but the insurance company paid for the damage that was done but it did not pay for a new house. They met their obligation in so far they paid for the damage caused to the house and that is all I was insured for,” he recalls.
Despite the inconvenience of having had to move to alternative accommodation, Hughie refuses to feel sorry for himself.
“There was a lot lost but once there was no life lost, everything else is replaceable,” he says, adding, “As a family, we are getting on with our lives and what can you do? My mother is living with us in the rented house. We are still farming away. Sure everyone was affected by that so we just have to take it.”
Before deciding to return home, Hughie is awaiting the result of an Office of Public Works survey that is currently taking place.
“I will take their advice on board before I do anything. They are surveying all the areas around. I’m waiting for word back from them one way or the other as to whether it is likely to flood again,” he explains.
Fianna Fáil councillor Gerry Finnerty believes people and businesses in the area have shown great resilience following the flooding crisis, a view echoed by Paddy Grealish, chairman of Gort Chamber.
Deputy Mayor of Galway, Bridie Willers was one of those who had to leave her home late last year after water flooded her home.
“I am back in my house. My mother is back and while some of my neighbours are back, some are not,” she surmises.
Councillor Willers is in favour of relocation in certain circumstances.
“There are still people out of their homes all over South Galway. They haven’t all got back into their homes. Some people are still in discussion with their insurance companies. Others want relocation and I would say that if a solution can’t be found in their areas, they should be offered it,” she continues.
According to the Fine Gael councillor, at the local area meetings she and her colleagues receive regular reports from the Office of Public Works.
“A lot of smaller things have been approved and funded by the OPW but to date, the main problem with flooding in South Galway has not been addressed. I want the Government and the OPW to revisit the 1997 South Galway Flood Report. A lot of the recommendations are as valid today as they were then. Our main thing is that most people in South Galway don’t want the draining of the whole of South Galway. What we are looking for is some kind of mechanism to be put in place that if we have rainfall at the level of last November, that there is some way to deal with the surface water. Most people agree that we need some sort of channel to the sea at Kinvara to take the water from across the area. What a lot of people are feeling at this stage is that it should be possible to come up with a cost-effective solution to grapple with the problem. I don’t want to have to move. I want to live where I live but I want there to be a permanent solution,” she says.
Councillor Willers’ suggestion to fund any relocation is simple. “There was a €10 million humanitarian aid fund and this was administered by the HSE. A lot of that has not been spent and if the remit of the HSE was extended so the money could be spent on relocation for those who want it, I think that would make sense. The HSE had to make sure houses were safe and habitable and while you can make a house habitable, it is hard to feel safe in it, when threatened by future floods,” she said.