Traders and residents in Midleton have called on Cork County Council to ensure all drains and culverts are cleaned on a regular basis after recent heavy rains led to flooding in the town, causing hundreds of thousand euros worth of damage.
More than 200 people attended a meeting organised by Midleton Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday night to call for action following flooding which engulfed both traders on Main Street and Broderick Street in the town centre, as well as houses in Woodlands and Lauriston estates and the Banogue area of the town.
Several traders on Main Street, whose premises were flooded, told the meeting that blockages to drains and gullies near the Rock and on Broderick Street contributed hugely to the problem as water levels remained high even after high tide had passed.
Kevin Morrissey of Euro Man fashion shop said that while heavy rains from Storm Frank began to hit the town on the night of December 29th, flood waters remained high even after high tide at 8.30am the following day when the river Owenacurra should have been able to empty quickly into the estuary.
Mr Morrissey said the fact that the lower end of Main Street remained under two feet of water as late as 3pm on December 30th was a reflection of the fact the drains were blocked and not capable of draining away the flood waters.
Draper Michael Coakley, who has been the victim of several floods agreed and said that blockages to the drains meant the lower end of Main Street can flood even at low tide in the middle of the summer when there is a thunderstorm.
Landlord, Kevin Stromsoe whose property at Railway Cottage on Mill Road flooded to a depth of six feet when the Owenacurra burst its banks on the night of December 29th, said drains and culverts should be cleaned twice a year, spring and autumn after leaves have fallen to ensure no repeat.
Fashion retailer Susan McGarry told how she had suffered serious losses when her shop on Main Street had flooded to a depth of 18 inches and she called for the introduction of a text alert system and better communications from the county council as seemed to exist in Bandon.
If a text alert scheme had been in place, she would have been able to remove stock to higher levels and avoid 90 per cent of her losses, said Ms McGarry, who said there was also a shortage of sandbags, and people had to scurry around town for bags to fill with sand from the council depot.
Gordon Callinan who runs The Pantry said that a council staff member told him around midnight on December 29th that no sandbags were available and he suggested that businesses should set up a fund to buy their own supply of sandbags and store them at a central location within easy reach.
Several residents of Lauriston, whose homes were flooded when the Dungourney river burst its banks over 1km away on December 30th, similarly called for better communication from Cork County Council to alert them to the risk of flooding so they could have try to protect their homes.
Cork East Fine Gael TD, David Stanton told the meeting at the Midleton Park Hotel that he had been in touch with both Cork County Council and the OPW and an OPW study on flooding in the Cork area had identified 240 properties at risk of flooding in Midleton.
There is currently no finalised flood relief scheme for Midleton, but Cork County Council hopes to formulate plans for a preferred scheme later this year with funding from the OPW, said Mr Stanton, who said the town should set up a task force to liaise with the council and the OPW on the issue.
