The Minister for the Environment and Local Government is not present.
Adjournment Debate. - Flood Relief.
I am replying to this matter on behalf of the Minister.
One would want to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the scenes of damage and devastation in Skibbereen at the weekend. I want to help the people affected to pick up the threads of their lives after their terrible experience. Approximately 70 to 80 families were affected by a flood about which they had no warning. Damage was caused to many homes and premises. Rain started to fall at 5 a.m. and continued for a long time thereafter; it was a traumatic experience for those affected.
My main objective in raising this matter on the Adjournment is to seek to have the necessary mechanisms to ensure this will not happen again put in place immediately. Emergency funding must be made available to achieve that objective. I am not in a position to say what is necessary to ensure there will not be a repetition of what happened over the weekend. A preliminary investigation has been carried out.
I travelled to Skibbereen, my home town, to lend solidarity to the people in their distress and to try to find out what caused the flooding and what should be done about it. Some engineers on the scene advised that an interim flood relief scheme is necessary. I would like the Government to immediately provide the necessary funding to put in place such a scheme. That may require a report from a firm of consulting engineers, but that could be obtained quickly. I want the Government to give a commitment to provide whatever funding is necessary to ensure there is not a repetition of what happened in Skibbereen over the weekend.
Many people suffered damage to their properties as a result of the flooding. I do not want to get into the legalities involved, but the flooding damaged carpets and furniture in many homes. There is an obligation on the Government to indicate that compensation will be made available to those affected. Many of them are not covered by insurance for such damage.
There is a history of flooding from the river in that area, but there has not been flooding since a major scheme was put in place a few years ago. The flooding over the weekend came from a different source and should not have happened. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask the Government to come to the assistance of the people affected in their hour of need. I appeal to the Government to commit the necessary funds for an emergency interim flood relief scheme and to indicate that compensation will be made available to those who were so badly affected by the flood damage over the weekend.
I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to speak to the House on the unfortunate flooding incident in Skibbereen last weekend. My colleague, the Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Deputy Dempsey, is unable to be in the House this evening to respond to this important item and has asked me to do so on his behalf.
I am sure all Members will join in extending sincere sympathy to all of those who were affected by the terrible flooding. The Skibbereen area experienced approximately 160 mm of rainfall in the last two weeks of October and up to 40 mm of rain fell in the 24 hour period preceding the flood. Deputies will appreciate that the immediate concern locally has been to identify the cause of the flooding and to give early assistance to those affected. The emergency services were called in and helped to sandbag premises and pump flood water from affected properties. I express our appreciation of the prompt action of the emergency services in dealing with the emergency. The Department of the Environment and Local Government has asked the local authority for a report on the matter, and this is awaited. However, the Department's inspector for the area has been in contact with local authority officials.
I understand the flooding occurred as a result of debris lodged in a culvert on the Assolas River which caused a blockage and water to back up stream in the culvert. Local authority personnel broke into the culvert at a number of locations and freed the blockage. This allowed the flood waters to subside quickly. A number of other actions are also being undertaken. A closed circuit television survey of the culvert is being arranged. I also understand that council crews are examining the upper sections of the river with a view to removing any debris which might pose a further threat. The installation of temporary screening is also being pursued. These actions are being undertaken in the short-term to prevent further recurrence of flooding from the Assolas River.
A preliminary report on the Skibbereen main drainage scheme, which incorporates flood relief measures, was submitted to the Department of the Environment and Local Government in 1993. However, following submission of the preliminary report, the national sludge strategy study identified Skibbereen as a hub-centre for the west Cork region and Cork County Council was advised that the implications of this would have to be taken into account in the design of the Skibbereen treatment works. The council recently submitted a brief for the appointment of consultants to undertake this review and the Department is in correspondence with it about this.
Last weekend's flooding incident was not due to the absence of flood relief measures in the 1993 report. However, it will be necessary to review the flood relief elements of that proposal in the light of developments which have occurred since 1993, such as the commencement of construction of the by-pass road from the Cork Road to the Schull Road, and development which has taken place in the town which may have impinged on sewer runs and-or increased surface water run-off.
The recent flooding occurred because of a blockage in the existing culvert. The question of funding for works required to alleviate flooding risk will be considered when the necessary reports and recommendations from the local authority are to hand.
The Dáil adjourned at 9.10 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 4 November 1998.