Christmas homeless fear for Glanmire family after flooding during Storm Babet

THREE weeks after Storm Babet flooding caused the river in Glanmire to burst its banks and cause devastation in the Copper Valley Vue development, a resident has said that she feels her situation is worse now than during the immediate aftermath and that her family is facing the possibility of homelessness at Christmas.

Aisling McEvoy told The Echo about the damage done to her family home and the constant fear she, her husband, and three children have of another flood causing even more destruction.

She said that the first two weeks after the flooding had been like it would have been had there been a bereavement, with people calling around to offer help and enquire about their wellbeing.

“Initially when people came in, the house didn’t look that bad, the flooring that was there is still down and we’re after bleaching it what seems like 200 times.

“Everything was kind of still in its place so in that initial period, the house didn’t look that bad.”

The passage of time has allowed the damage caused by the flooding to become more apparent.

The skirting boards started bubbling on the walls and Aisling and her husband wondered could they simply take them off the wall and allow them dry off and then put them back.

Builders came in and assessed that the skirting boards would have to go. Then the plasterboard on the wall was assessed — after they went behind the plasterboard they saw how wet the blocks were.

“First of all, it would have nearly knocked you over the smell that came out of it,” she said.

The assessment of the builder was that the blocks were all wet up to the level of the water when it was at its highest in the house. The diagnosis was that the wall would have to be cut to that level to allow the wall to dry out.

The walls everywhere, apart from the kitchen, have been cut. The effects of the floodwater in the kitchen were becoming apparent as gaps began to appear as the wood began to swell. When they removed the fridge and the dishwasher to see what was happening, the wood in their kitchen units expanded so much they couldn’t put them back in.

The advice they have from the kitchen company is that nothing will be able to go back into the kitchen until the plasterboard is cut so the blockwork can be seen and refixed.

They’ve been told that it will be after Christmas before anything can be done to get the kitchen back to its pre-flood state but the dilemma faced by the family is that the kitchen is working to some extent — using a kettle and air fryer means they can live in the house.

Their concern is that if they don’t take out the kitchen now to allow the walls dry out, will the damage get even worse?

“If the wall needs to be cut now, we are essentially homeless for Christmas”, she said, pointing out that while downstairs is freezing due to the absence of heat, they can live in their upstairs bedrooms.

Tánaiste visit

Aisling said that Tánaiste Mícheál Martin came to their home in the immediate aftermath and spoke with them.

“He listened to what I had to say and he said that the humanitarian fund, the application form/ document was unfit for purpose, that it was outdated and the means testing thing wasn’t relevant to today’s world and the situation we were in”, she said, and that he had said he would be bringing a new document to the Cabinet to address these flaws.

“I said to him that you’re after giving me a 20-page document.

“I’m looking outside if it rains so that we’ve sandbags outside the house. I’m inside the house trying to gut it.

“I’m trying to get my business up and running and I’m telling you right now that I can barely find a pair of shoes to walk out the door.

“How do you expect me to fill out a means test on what you’re going to help me with? It’s a joke.”

She said that the Tánaiste had pointed out that businesses were facing going to the wall as they were relying on their pre-Christmas business.

“I have a business as well that’s affected here but I will tell you the difference — my business is flooded and I get up in the morning, I go down there and I clear it out and I can work at fixing it up but then I can come home and sit down and watch the telly at home and relax.

“But if my home is flooded, I get up in the morning and it’s there, I actually go to work for a few hours for a break and then I come back to deal with it again.”

Aisling also spoke of the family’s fears, which were mirrored around the estate, when the more recent Storm Ciarán was threatening. She claims they were told by Cork City Council that, because it wasn’t a status orange weather warning they wouldn’t be provided with sandbags. She said people went door to door to collect money and bought a load of sand off a builder and got empty sandbags from the council which they filled themselves.

Cork City Council

In response to a query on this issue from The Echo, Cork City Council said: “On the Thursday afternoon the Local Glanmire Area office provided some filled sandbags to local residents (exact number unknown).

“On Thursday evening, Cork City Council provided 250 filled sandbags to the residents. On Thursday evening we also provided two tonnes of sand and empty bags to the residents. This was to allow residents to fill their own bags should they need more. The sand provided by the city council would have allowed the residents to fill at least 50 more sandbags.

“On Friday morning the Local Glanmire Area office provided more filled sandbags (exact number unknown).”

The council said that in total, it provided “in excess of 300 sandbags (over 250 filled and sand/bags for in excess of 50 more) to the residents in Copper Valley Vue which they should still have and which can be reused again throughout this winter”.

The spokesperson continued: “Cork City Council only provides sandbags in emergency situations, in response to an active flooding event. We do not have the capacity to issue out large numbers of gel sacks or sandbags across the entire city in advance of every and all-weather events that will occur during any given winter season.

“If a resident or business is concerned about their property flooding it is open to them to prepare for same and purchase their own gel sacks or sandbags and store them on their premises in case they need to deploy them in advance of a weather event.”

Flood barrier

While there was rain, it didn’t lead to the floods that came following Storm Babet. Aisling believes that flood measures need to be put in place straight away.

A Sinn Féin local election candidate, Mandy O’Leary Hegarty, has issued a call to Cork City Council to put a flood barrier in place to protect Copper Valley Vue in Glanmire.

“The last few weeks of downpours caused by Storm Babet and neglect of our drain and flood management infrastructure have made it clear that it is now more important than ever that homes and businesses are protected.

“As the frequency of these events increases, people clearly can’t wait up to three years for protection,” she said.

“Erecting a flood barrier at Copper Valley Vue would give stability and security to the area while protecting people’s homes and businesses from flooding.

“It is welcome that the design team will now examine the proposed works throughout the Glashaboy Flood relief scheme to consider whether there are any additional short-term or other interventions that can be beneficially proposed in addition to the approved works,” she said.

Christmas approaching

Meanwhile, the McEvoy family is grappling with getting their lives back to some sense of normality and Christmas is approaching fast with all the pressure that brings with it.

The local credit union is offering a special rates loan to help flood- affected families to get them back on their feet but they’re still not sure as to what they need to do.

“That’s still a loan for something we never wanted and it’s still hitting us before Christmas.

“Either way, what do you put back into the house, how much of a loan do we get, how much do we fix because what will happen in the next heavy rainfall?

“You know what it is, there’s no flood measures done. What’s the definition of insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results.”

Funds paid out

This year to date, 521 payments have been made through the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme at a cost of just over €377,000, the Department of Social Protection confirmed in response to a query from The Echo.

“Following Storm Babet, 427 payments have been made to people in Cork and Waterford, up to the week ending October 28, through the scheme totalling €300,520.

“Any homeowner affected in Cork, Waterford, Wexford or Louth who needs to access this support can contact the Community Welfare Service at 0818 60 70 80.

“The situation on the ground continues to be monitored and our staff are engaging with the local authorities and other agencies to ensure supports are being provided to those affected as swiftly as possible.”