By Dan Walsh at Wexford County Council Special Meeting
At a special Wexford County Council meeting held yesterday (Monday) addressing the theme of ‘flooding and the impact to the roads network,’ it was revealed that the volume of water flowing through Enniscorthy town centre during the recent floods reached an astonishing 300,000 litres per second.
A comprehensive report from Wexford County Council, delivered by Chief Executive Eddie Taaffe, revealed that flooding was so intense it swept away two gauges on either side of the Seamus Rafter Bridge, which were later recovered.
On Saturday, January 24th, monitoring at Enniscorthy showed the river rising at its fastest in 25 years!
There was also serious flooding at Castlebridge and Wexford town while Bunclody experienced properties not flooded in a long number of years – possibly 60 years –
Mr Taaffe stated that repairing the widespread road damage will take several weeks, as many soft surfaces and structures have collapsed and tens of thousands of potholes need fixing.
He said it will take a number of weeks to restore the roads and some roads have disintegrated so badly that they will need to be reconstructed.
He outlined interim plans for flood relief, but warned that the matter is complex and environmental and planning cannot be bypassed. He added that there is no guarantee that floods of that magnitude will not be prevented, but Mr Taaffe admitted “We have to do something” and he asked members for their support and patience.
Cllr Barbara-Anne Murphy claimed “the people of Bunclody were abandoned” and she called for emergency plans for Enniscorthy and Bunclody.
Cllr Michael Sheehan called for “a united front” to restore the condition of the roads; Cllr Jackser Owens supported more action for Enniscorthy and Cllr Jim Codd asked that the banks of the Bridgetown canal be raised for miles and he thanked locals who assisted with last week’s flooding in the area.
Cllr Codd was also critical of “insurance companies leaving the scene” and regretted that “people were refused insurance because of their address!”
There were contributions from Cllrs Aidan Browne about Enniscorthy, AoifeRose O’Brien regards Rosslare, Leonard Kelly, Wexford town, and Robbie Staples asked that Curracloe and Castlebridge be added to the list.
Cllr Bridín Murphy suggested that funding from central government be released for improvements to road networks. Cllr John Fleming contributed on the New Ross district.
Cllr Lisa McDonald described recent events “as horrific” and expressed disappointment at Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s visit to Enniscorthy when he remarked that he didn’t have a magic wand! Cllr McDonald stated that democracy is working too slowly and people are becoming despondent. “It is time to get out of the barge and into the speedboat,” said Cllr McDonald, who also reminded the meeting that “coastal flooding was not mentioned here today.”
Cllr Pat Kehoe advocated slowing down the velocity of the water to aid flooding at Enniscorthy. Cllr Pat Barden outlined the atrocious conditions of roads in his area and Cllr Garry Laffan also referred to localised flooding. He suggested making an application for emergency funding and emergency staffing for the next three months.
Cllr Vicky Barron asked that the government be petitioned about the needs rather than the length of roads and ensure that the State fixes the roads. She also referred to flood mitigation and planning laws.
Cllr John O’Rourke asked to make sure in future that the flood barriers at Templeshannon Quay are put in place and he told the meeting that flooding of six houses at Carley’s Bridge and twelve houses at the Still Pond had not been mentioned.
Cllr Mary Farrell referred to Old Bawn, Ballygarrett (or Newtown as some call it!) and said that two houses were flooded there over Christmas and the road is regularly flooded. She requested that it be included in the plan.
Cathaoirleach Cllr Joe Sullivan acknowledged all the agencies who “acted in a community spirited way” and said their efforts were deeply appreciated.
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