Taoiseach admits flood relief schemes 'taking too long' as just 30% of allocation spent
Flood relief schemes are “taking too long to bring to fruition”, the Taoiseach admitted, as it was revealed the Government has only spent 30% of its allocation for a national flood warning system.Residents whose homes are at risk of flooding have been warned again to take significant precautions. In the East of the country, heavy rain continues on already saturated ground and high river levels.Weather warnings were expanded across the island, with Dublin and Wicklow issued a 27-hour orange rain alert until 3pm on Friday. Waterford’s orange warning will expire at 9am on Friday while Louth is expected to be hit the worst with Met Éireann issuing an orange rain alert until 6pm on Friday.Cavan, Monaghan and Meath remain under a yellow rain warning until 6pm on Friday. Director of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Planning Keith Leonard said Dublin, Louth and Waterford remain the “key pinch points” for the next few days.Mr Leonard has urged those who can work from home on Friday in these areas to do so, as travelling conditions may be dangerous. He said: "The level of flooding is uncertain, but I think we are going to see a lot of flooding across roads tomorrow and the possibility of unfortunately some dwellings and business premises affected across the region."Road Safety Minister Sean Canney echoed these calls, telling workers: “It's better to work from home than to actually risk your life to get into work and I think employers understand that.” There was significant travel disruption across the capital on Thursday as photographs showed massive waves crashing against the Seawall at Seapoint and flooding the rail line.Services were suspended between Lansdowne Road and Bray, with Iarnród Éireann’s Barry Kenny saying there was flooding in “multiple locations”. There was also disruption to services between Enniscorthy and Wexford due to flooding on the tracks.Walls of sandbags were erected along the River Slaney in Enniscorthy over the past few days, as the residents worst affected by Storm Chandra last week brace for further potential disruption and devastation. The town has been pleading for a flood defence scheme for the past 20 years, as businesses and homeowners near the river have suffered property damage multiple times.Speaking in Galway, Taoiseach Micheál Martin admitted that flood relief schemes are taking too long to be erected, but said these measures are complex and involve a range of different challenges. He said: “We are going to do everything we can to accelerate these flood relief schemes, get decisions made... but we need to look more at interim solutions as well.”Residents and business owners in Enniscorthy, who are facing tens of thousands in damage, said that despite a yellow rain alert, they were not warned that there was potential for significant flooding. The Government says work on completing a National Flood Warning System is currently underway.However, the Public Accounts Committee discovered on Thursday that just €5.9 million out of an allocation of €19.3 million was spent on the service. Chair of the committee, Sinn Féin TD John Brady, said this revelation is "scandalous", adding: “The government must now clearly explain why they failed to deliver such critical flood risk management infrastructure, even though funding had been allocated.“Communities impacted by flooding cannot continue to be let down by this government’s poor planning and inaction. Met Éireann’s Gerry Murphy said the worst of the weather will be “behind us” by the end of today (FRI), with the weekend set for a mix of sunny spells and showers.More rain is expected next week, however, the forecaster said it’s too soon to say what areas will be the worst affected. Louth County Council said impacts on the county will be “inevitable”. Its Director David Hanratty said 30-60mm of rain is forecast for Cooley over 24 hours, which is a “significant step up” from levels during Storm Chandra.There is a significant risk that the Fane, the Glyde and the Dee rivers in the county will burst their banks. The council has urged any residents in these areas to take any precautions they can, with the public being warned to stay away from these rivers for the next day.Mr Hanratty said: “They experienced significant accumulations of water last week and they will likely see it again in the next 24 hours. Sandbags have been distributed and we encourage them to get them and take any precautions they can to limit the impact.”In Waterford, flood defence barriers were put in place as some roads in the city were closed. Motorists were also urged not to leave their cars in places at risk of flooding, such as The Pond and Castle Street Carpark in Dungarvan.Waterford City and County Council said most rivers have receded from peak levels seen last week, however, current ground conditions and heavy rainfall could trigger further flooding. Residents in Wicklow have been told to avoid Bray Promenade and Wicklow Town Seafront and Promenade due to high tides and easterly winds.In Arklow, coffee shop owner Josefina Kolarska was preparing for further flooding. Her café Coffee 4 You sits right alongside the River Avoca. After Storm Chandra, she said broken down trees still haven’t been cleared in the area, and she fears more rain and wind could cause disruption with the debris.Preparing for the warnings as she lined her shop with sandbags on Thursday Josefina told RTÉ: “It was really high. I had never seen the water as high as it was last week. It was all around the building. We were stuck here, we couldn’t move anywhere.”In North Dublin, the Balbriggan Road, Barnageeragh to the Skerries coast road was closed as photographs showed sea water bursting onto the pavement. High tides were also seen in Malahide, as Fingal County Council said the Estuary Road to the Old Yellow Walls Road junction was temporarily shut.Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
