Flood-hit Cork expecting more with high tides as business owners slam lack of flood defences
Parts of Cork are expected to suffer from further flooding at high tide this morning after a weekend of heavy rain.
Park road #mallow #flooded #cork #iestaff pic.twitter.com/qWXVAhNBSi
— Dan Linehan (@lensdan) April 11, 2016
Business owners have again been critical of the failure of build new flood defences for the city, which should have been "shovel ready" last year.
Flood barriers and sandbags were not enough to hold back the water in some premises yesterday.
CORK: There is flooding on the N72 Mallow/ Killarney Rd at Cork Racecourse. It is passable with care. https://t.co/qvBPcgxUj8
— The AA Ireland (@aaroadwatch) April 11, 2016
In Cork city, which experienced much of the flooding yesterday, the high tide is expected after 9am this morning.
Auctioneer Trevor McCarthy was one of those left cleaning up, but he is not sure new flood defences will solve the problem.
He said: "It just crept in through the corner of the building which got slightly flooded, it is dried out within an hour or two.
"Cork is a bit unique in that when we get a combination of the easterly winds with a storm like that and high tides, the city centre is always going to flood. We are used to it at this stage, water comes in, water goes out."
Other business owners in Cork have criticised the failure to build proper flood defences in the city.
Millions of euro in damage has been caused by flooding in recent years, with many being forced to trade without flood insurance.
Laurence Owens from the Cork Business Association says it is not good enough.
He said: "Back in 2014 the then Minister Brian Hayes said the project would be shovel ready by 2015, I don’t see any shovels.
"There hasn't been one block of construction put into place. I've been to Clonmel, I've been to Fermoy and I've been to Waterford, we are not in any way questioning the competencies of the OPW, but what we are questioning is the timelines of affecting those plans."
