As you also aware this problem has been around for a few years and despite repeated requests to councilors and the County council very little has been done. I know there were men from the council looking at it last week but whatever they did (if anything!) had no effect. In addition putting out a few “Road flooded ahead” signs does not solve the problem either.

This matter needs to be attended to as quickly as possible before fatalities occur – then it’s too late.

John Raftery, who runs the Centra in the village, says a blocked drain is causing the problem, creating a very dangerous situation.  On Friday, the flooding stretched almost halfway across the road, meaning vehicles travelling from Galway had to drive in the middle of the road to avoid the deep water.

“If people coming from the Tuam direction weren’t alert, they were going to meet cars driving at them in the middle of the road which is pretty dangerous.  The other side is that, when people are coming from Galway, particularly trucks and large vans, are ploughing into this flood and sending water flying over the wall into our car park,” he said.

Claregalway had major flooding issues in 2009 when the River Clare burst its banks.  The installation of an additional channel under the bridge to allow the water to flow more freely seems to have solved the problem but Mr. Raftery insists that “it doesn’s take a lot of heavy rain” for the drain on the N17 to overflow.

“The gully (drain) doesn’t seem to be able to do anything.  I know the Council apparently have been out a few times to look at it, but that’s all they are doing…We are paying rates, we are doing all these other things, and we can’t get this sorted,” he said.

Mr. Raftery said drains inside the wall of the car park do not flood and while he is aware that flooding from the drain has never caused the road to be blocked, he feels that “nothing is being done” to fix the drain, meaning the danger is still there for the public.

“I saw it myself on Sunday evening, where a car was pulling out of the car park heading for Galway, thought there was nothing coming and then all of a sudden a car basically appeared from behind the flood.  It’s dangerous for pedestrians…this is an ongoing problem that is going back for at least two years and no one has done anything about it,” he said.

A spokesperson from Galway County Council confirmed that they are looking to resolve the flooding issues on the N17 in Claregalway village.

“Currently the surface water is discharged to the River Clare via an old piped network.  We are looking to confirm if repairs are required on the existing pipe work or if a new pipeline is required.  Investigations into the adequacy of the old network are continuing,” he said.

These photos were taken by John Raftery, owner of Raftery’s Centra, Claregalway on Sunday 23rd of October. For images from the floods of 2009, see here.

AROUND 20 families who were forced out by severe flooding two years ago are expected to get up to €200,000 each to buy new homes.

They were among the worst affected by the floods, which damaged the homes of thousands of people around the country.

They are set to get compensation to buy or build new homes because the risk of their old homes flooding again is considered too great – and it would be too expensive to carry out flood prevention works.

But the 32 families in Galway, Roscommon, Offaly and Tipperary are facing an anxious wait before the Department of Social Protection confirms who is receiving the relocation grants from the €4m fund.

The Government has only approved the relocation of up to 20 families – meaning that 12 other families are likely to miss out on the funds. A number of the families have young children and have been living in rented accommodation since the severe flooding in November 2009.  The overwhelming majority are from Galway (27), with three from Roscommon and one each from Offaly and Tipperary.

In order to qualify for re-location, the families have had to get an assessment from the Office of Public Works (OPW) that it is unsustainable to move back to their houses due to the risk of flooding. They have to show that it is impossible to get flood insurance.

And the OPW also has to find that re-location is a cheaper option than carrying out flood protection works. In many cases, families have moved back to their homes because such works have either been carried out or commissioned.

Fine Gael Galway West TD Brian Walsh, who has been in contact with some of the families hoping to get re-located, said it had been a huge ordeal for them.

“But I am hopeful that there is now light at the end of the tunnel for many of these in the form of the prospect of relocation. There isn’t any other option for these people. It’s too risky to move back into their homes,” he said.

The families will be given funds to buy or build new homes – depending on their personal circumstances. But the amount of money they receive from the €4m fund will be capped in accordance with an estimate from their local authority –such as Galway County Council- about the cost of providing a reasonable home in the area. Their re-location grant will be also cut if they have their own site to build on – and any compensation payments from their insurance company for the flood damage will also be discounted.

The Department of Social Protection said its officials had visited each of the 32 families and carried out an assessment of their situation.

“The department expects to be in a position to make a decision on these cases in the coming weeks,” a spokeswoman said.

Although the relocation scheme only covers people in four counties, the Government has given payments worth €1.65m to 1,310 other people to help them move back into their flood-damaged homes – an average of €1,200 each.  But according to TDs, many people are still finding it impossible to get flood insurance.

Two years in rented accommodation after the floods

A FAMILY are anxiously waiting for a grant to move to a new home- after being forced to live in rented accommodation for the past two years.

Margaret Keogh and her husband Ned lost almost all of their furniture when their bungalow in Carnmore in Galway was covered by a foot of water for three weeks.

They and their three children have been living in rented accommodation while they wait for a decision from the Government on re-locating them to a new home. They had previously lived in their home for ten years and never had any problem with flooding during that time.

Mrs Keogh said the site around the house had been flooded four times since – and that there was no guarantee this wouldn’t happen again if they moved back.

“I just really couldn’t put the kids back there. I would prefer to live in the side of the street rather than go back with them,” she said.

The couple bought their home – which was around 25 years old at the time – back in 2001 for €194,000. Mrs Keogh said it was now “worth nothing” but they are still paying the mortgage for it.

Mrs Keogh said she and her husband had kept going for the sake of their three children Lauren (3), James (6) and Dillon (9).

“If I didn’t have the kids, I think I’d be in a mental hospital because it’s been horrendous on myself and Ned. I don’t even know how our marriage has got through it. We’ve lost everything,” she said.

She and her family are now waiting for the announcement by the Department of Social Protection about who will be re-located under its €4m scheme to help flooded families. Their rent payments are being covered by an emergency flood relief fund in the meantime.

“We’re hearing that 20 families are going to get relocated but we don’t know if we’re one of them,” she said.

Both Mrs Keogh and her husband have lost jobs due to the business slowdown caused by the recession – she previously worked with the Executive Helicopters company and her husband worked as a carpenter. And they had to dump six skip-loads of furniture and personal possessions which had been damaged by the flooding.

“The water was in our house for three weeks. And in the country, you have septic tanks so picture the scene,” she said.

Mrs Keogh said the family is willing to keep repaying  has previously travelled up to the Dail to highlight her family’s plight– and has been seeking a meeting with Social Protection Minister Joan Burton.

“It would be just to talk to her and show her we’re not gangsters. We’re just a normal couple and we’re not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. We owned our own home. We worked to buy all our own stuff. We’ve never been on social welfare until this happened,” she said.

Michael Brennan
Deputy Political Correspondent, Irish Independent.

The brief from the Office of Public Works (OPW) required the study to include the following;

• A hydrographic survey from Lough Corrib to Claregalway to establish whether the presence of siltation significantly reduces the conveyance capacity of the channel.
• An examination of existing data on the Clare and Abbert Rivers to compare the Arterial Drainage Scheme design with the existing channel at critical locations.
• An examination of the available Hydrometric Stations data in the area with particular reference to the recent flood event.
• The development of a numeric hydraulic model of the study area, using available data augmented with a series of cross sections taken at selected locations.
• Calibration of the hydraulic model using data gathered from the recent flood.
• The development of an outline flood damage (improvement works benefit) analysis.
• Recommendation of a number of engineering measures to form the basis of a proposed alleviation option to eliminate or reduce flooding in the study area from a similar sized event to the November 2009 flood.

In order to fulfil the brief, the study comprised the following elements;

• A review of the Clare River catchment including description of the various Arterial Drainage Scheme works, physical characteristics of the Clare and Abbert Rivers, the control of water levels in Lough Corrib, catchment geology and hydrogeology, ecology, meteorology, urbanisation and land use zoning and cultural heritage.
• An analysis of historical floods in the study area.
• An analysis of the various parameters pertaining to the November 2009 flood event including analysis of rainfall events and return periods.
• The collection and assessment of extensive datasets from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Office of Public Works and Met Eireann relating to Clare River flows and water levels, Abbert River flows and water levels, Lough Corrib levels, rainfall intensities and operational data relating to the Salmon Weir sluice barrage in Galway city on the Corrib River.
• Surveying of cross-sections of the Clare and Abbert River channels and flood plains.
• Surveying of all of the bridges and other hydraulic features along the study area river reaches.
• The comparison of existing bed levels and cross sectional areas to design levels and cross sectional area in both the Clare and the Abbert Rivers.
• The collection of anecdotal evidence relating to peak flood levels and other pertinent information.
• The estimation of flood flows relating to November 2009, the 100 year flood and the 100 year flood incorporating a climate change allowance.
• An hydraulic analysis of the Clare and Abbert River channels including the development of a HECRAS 1D model.
• Calibration of the hydraulic model using the anecdotal evidence collected for the November 2009 flood event.
• The use of the hydraulic model to analyse potential flood risk management measures to eliminate or reduce the impact of a flood of similar magnitude to that of November 2009.
• The preparation of an outline flood damage analysis for the November 2009 flood event in order to calculate the economic damages consequent to this flood.
• Extrapolation of the November 2009 flood damage analysis for events of other magnitudes in order to calculate the economic risk posed by various flood events and to calculate the benefit accruing from putting various flood risk management measures in place.
• The evaluation of various alleviation options made up of a number of flood risk management measure, by carrying out initial viability screening on technical, economic, environmental and social acceptability grounds.
• For flood risk management measures deemed to be potentially viable, a more detailed viability assessment was carried out which included cost benefit analysis, an assessment of upstream or downstream flood risk, an assessment of environmental impact, climate change impact and future maintenance requirements.
• The drawing up of a programme of flood risk management measures satisfying the detailed viability assessment.

The main outcome of the elements of works listed above is a recommended programme of measures to deal with identified flood risk locations complete with cost estimates, estimates of economic benefits accruing as a result of the implementation of the measures and the calculation of benefit to cost ratios.

Another outcome of the study is that it is not possible to provide viable flood risk management measures for the areas at risk of flooding adjacent to the Abbert River and for one particular area in Miontach North adjacent to the Clare River.

The full description of the study is divided into eight chapters contained in Volume 1. Volume 2 contains Appendices pertinent to the study.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the report and sets out the aims of the study.

Chapter 2 discusses the general catchment characteristics of the Clare River catchment as well as the study area. It also discusses the Lough Corrib catchment and the operation of the sluice gates at the Salmon Weir in Galway city in relation to levels on Lough Corrib. The final section of the chapter describes significant flood events in the study area including a description of the flood of November 2009.

Chapter 3 describes the various datasets collected in order to carry out the study including a description of the survey of the rivers as well as the collection of anecdotal evidence from residents and public representatives from the study area.

Chapters 4 and 5 analyse the hydrology and the hydraulics of the Clare and Abbert River. The hydrological element focuses on estimating pertinent flood flows at the various hydrometric gauges.

In Chapter 5, relating to the hydraulic analysis, the development of the hydraulic model is described as well as an analysis of various model runs both for calibration purposes and to test various flood risk management measures.

An outline damage analysis is provided in Chapter 6 for the November 2009 flood events, for the Design Flood event and for the Design Flood Event with a Climate Change allowance factored in. It also describes the results of the preliminary Flood Risk Assessment.

Chapter 7 provides detail on the various flood risk management measures proposed and an initial and more detailed viability assessment process, based on which the measures were assessed.

For more information check out the Office of Public Works full Report here.

The Flood Recovery Fund is continuing to accept applications from community and voluntary groups working in the areas affected by recent flooding.
For the fund criteria and application form please visit www.communityfoundation.ie/grants.
In response to the devastation wrought by recent widespread flooding across many parts of Ireland, this fund has been established to helpfrontline community and voluntary groups provide assistance to the most vulnerable in our communities.

Grants are available to community and voluntary groups in the areas affected to help in the provision of Food, Clothing, Bedding and the Clean-up effort.  Groups working with Older people, Families with young children, People with physical or learning disabilities, People with mental health needs and People on low incomes who have been affected by the floods will be targeted.

Grants to successful applicants will be made within days. To ensure we can reach communities as soon as possible application forms should be returned by email. Applicants should complete Page 3 of the application form so that grants can be made by means of bank transfer.

For more information email info@foundation.ie

and the absence of  the West of Ireland precipitation levels. Both the Maltese and Irish climates exceeded my expectations, one providing more sunshine than even I had hoped for and the other providing the highest rainfall levels in living memory. I found it surreal that while I was soaking up the u.v. rays (in between lectures of course!) that the people of Claregalway where I attended Primary school were being submerged by flood waters.

Having seen video clips and photographs on the internet from the national and local newspapers I thought I had some understanding of the inconvenience caused by the flooding. However it was only when I returned for my Christmas holidays that I became aware that thirteen families in the parish of Claregalway had to evacuate their homes in late November. The full extent of the devastation was brought home to me when I visited one of the evacuated families (a family I had previously babysat for) in their rented accommodation and accompanied them to their gutted home.

For the families involved their daily lives and former routines had changed completely. As well as trying to prepare for Christmas they had to undertake and complete many flood related tasks. Having vacated their homes with just hours notice and with minimal possessions they had to try to salvage irreplaceable possessions. Along with the practical aspects of trying to find alternative accommodation, they had to strip down their homes to concrete level, deal with insurance companies and local and national authorities. All of these tasks had to be carried out while still having the unanswered questions in their minds as to why and how this happened and could it happen again?  For the parents these tasks were achieved whilst simultaneously balancing work pressures and pre-Christmas home and school activities such as attending school plays, visiting Santa and trying to achieve the Christmas spirit in their substitute homes.

One thing that Claregalway has always had is a great community spirit and I was heartened to find that despite the undisputable trauma and roller-coaster of emotions, there is sincere gratitude for the phenomenal support received by those affected both from people previously known to them and from those whom they had not previously met or had only the briefest of interactions with.  Such support was shown in a multitude of ways: from the people who spent their time on the web searching for alternative accommodation, families who offered accommodation in their homes, mothers who offered to take care of the children while the parents could tend to the various tasks, children that offered toys and made cards for all those affected, the men that spent numerous hours clearing the flooded homes and moving family possessions to the alternative accommodation and the people that kept in constant contact by phone or in person.

For many people in Ireland, 2009 will be remembered as the year of the long awaited Rugby Grand Slam, Thierry Henri’s hand of shame, NAMA, two budgets, job losses, the swine flu epidemic or even Jedward. However, for thirteen families in Claregalway it will be remembered as the year of the flood.  More importantly, for the children and adults alike in those homes, it will be the year that they learned, “Friendship is the hand that reaches out when others disappear from sight on a rainy day”.

For those students contemplating spending time in Ireland on an Erasmus programme, we cannot entice them with the promise of sunshine but we can certainly guarantee them warm hospitality, community spirit, friendship and rainfall but hopefully not to the extent of the 2009 levels.

by Rebecca Glavin



President Mary McAleese visited Claregalway village this morning to meet victims of the recent floods. The President started a two day tour yesterday in Cork to visit flood disaster zones all over Ireland.

Mary McAleese spoke at Claregalway Community Centre earlier today. Parts of her speech are below. Later today she will speak in Gort, Ballinasloe and Ennis in Co. Clare, which were all effected by the recent floods.

She said many communities had displayed their finest hour in terms of how they rallied together.

“Nature gave her worst and human nature, in return, gave its very best.”

“It is on the goodness of human nature that we rely to get us through these awful times.”

“It is human nature that will get us through; and the message here in Claregalway, as well as other parts of Ireland, is that the statutory agencies, the voluntary agencies, the individuals on the streets as well as the communities, they came together in this spontaneous display of ‘meitheal’.”

“The volunteers and emergency workers knew there was only one way to get through this and that was by pulling together in a partnership and community spirit.”

A Claregalway Flood Relief fund has been set up, and donations can be made through the Post Office in Claregalway. This will provide some assistance to those whos homes were damaged in the floods.

Galway Mayor Tom McHugh commented that homeowners effected by the floods will need this relief money not just to tide them over Christmas, but on a continuing basis to make necessary repairs to their homes. He understood that not all houses damaged were insured and the homeowners will need to acquire money from somewhere to repair them.

We have uploaded images from the floods in Claregalway and surrounding areas here and here, and you can upload your own photos here.

Below are some images from the President’s visit to Claregalway. As usual, if you have your own, you can upload them using the link below.
Josette Farrell

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This meeting was also attended by local Cllr. Jim Cuddy.

‘At our meeting I asked that funding be allocated to carry out a study as to why almost thirty houses flooded in the Claregalway, Turloughmore and Carnmore areas and for remedial works to be carried out,’ said Deputy Grealish.

‘I have now secured a commitment from An Taoiseach that funding will be allocated to complete this study and for the OPW to carry out remedial works to try and prevent this happening again in the future.’

‘I have organised a meeting for Tuesday night, 15th December in the Arches Bar, Claregalway with representatives of the OPW to get the opinions of local people on this issue and to discuss the way forward.’

‘A further meeting will be held early in 2010 with Minister Martin Manseragh, who has responsibility for the OPW and his officials, to discuss and finalise the best way to try and prevent future flooding.’

‘At my meeting with An Taoiseach, I also proposed a scheme to indemnify homeowners, who cannot get insurance against future flooding and this proposal is currently with the Department of Finance for consideration,’ he said.

‘I also discussed a number of other issues of importance locally at my meeting with An Taoiseach, including the Claregalway Sewerage Scheme and the Claregalway Inner Relief Road.’

‘Following the meeting, I secured a commitment from the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey that the Claregalway Inner Relief Road would proceed to CPO early in 2010 and that funding would also be provided for the construction of the road.’

‘I have attached a copy of the letter, which I have received from the Minister for Transport regarding this issue.’

‘Rest assured of my full commitment on these local issues and I will ensure that every possible step is taken to try and ensure that the flooding, which occurred in recent weeks does not happen again in the future.’ ‘I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas,’ Deputy Grealish concluded.

Floods met with floods of community spirit
As I watched the turnout of people that landed up to the sand pile at Claregalway church, I had to stop several times in amazement at the type of people who were turning up to do their bit to help those who were in serious flood trouble. The local farming community were there in big numbers as you would expect, because they are nearly always the first out of the trap in a crisis like this very one, without their powerful machinery and knowledge of the land, we would have been fighting a losing battle. What really stunned me was the array of professional and ordinary people that turned out to help, whether it was an hour or for the five days. There were a variety of people ranging from a beautician to a solicitor, from block-layer to sales reps, from a plumber to retired locals, from child minder to head- master, old and young, men and of course some mighty women, all banded together for the sake of people they probably never even met, and what was even more stunning was the enthusiasm that they showed as they did. It made me proud to be living in Claregalway. There were guy’s who jumped seven foot walls to get sand bags to peoples’ back doors; that’s the kind of neighbourhood we can be proud of.

A special mention for Malachy Noone who spearheaded the whole thing for the five days and more, and nobody understands how his phone battery last so long with amount of use it was getting. Every motion that moved through that village was channelled through his phone (a good advert for Nokia!). His ear must be ringing still at this stage! There was a rumour that he was re-charging the battery of his phone by holding to the wire brace holding up the telegraph pole in the church car park. With the way he had everyone motivated, we could have built an ark if it was needed! There are many other great people contributed to this huge effort, community reps like Josette Farrell, Shops and Hotels for food and beverages supplied. I would like to thank especially to those who supplied the food and beverages; as a helper that was greatly appreciated. “The people that eat together work better together!”

The only time people took their eyes off the sand was to stop and look at the flashing of cameras as our local celebrities who pranced around in their ankle wellys till they found a dry spot for their own personal photo shoot, they would then move on to the next scene of flood damage for another photo shoot. Once the flashing of cameras stop, the volunteers just got back to filling bags because they knew the local celebrities were no good to them and their situation. They can take as many pictures as they like, but the people know who were working on the front line! One thing I think came out of all this is that even though we might be forever living in a flood zone, at least we surrounded by a great bunch of people! Well done everyone involved! Now lets see what the local celebrities can do for the village to prevent something like this ever happening again.

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For up-to-date information on the floods in Claregalway, and all over Galway, tune in to Galway Bay FM (95.8 FM).

For weather updates check out Met Éireann.

As Claregalway has been devastated by floods, emergency accommodation has been set up in local hotels. These rooms are for victims worst effected by the floods, and those who cannot return to their homes.

Electricity in some homes has been cut off to reduce the danger of electric shock. It is thought that some residents won’t be able to return to their homes for several weeks as water systems will remain flooded.

If you have any photos or videos from the Claregalway area relating to the floods, please send them to news(at)nuachtchlair.com or upload them yourself here.

Update:
Flooding has since stopped in Claregalway and many local residents have written to us asking us to express thanks to all those who volunteered during the disaster. As you can see from the photos below, and on our other flood images pages here and here, many locals helped out during the floods, filling and dropping sandbags, and providing shelter and food for those who were unable to return to their homes.