Noel O'Flynn (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)

Six hours after the flooding Cork City Council and Cork County Council had tankers on the ground, thanks to Dairygold, Kerry Co-op and other private owners, to make water available and have it in place when the pipes in the city ran dry. The water shortage affected 2,000 homes on the south side of the city and 16,000 homes and businesses on the north side. Cork City Council and Cork County Council and the emergency services, the fire service, Civil Defence and the ambulance services, the Garda, the Army and the Naval Service all played, and are playing, a very significant role in dealing with this crisis. The community, volunteers, the members of the council and Deputies are all helping in this crisis.

I commend the gardaí and in particular Superintendent Con Carrigan of Gurranabraher who has received water supplies from Cork City Council and has organised runs to the vulnerable and older people in the community over the past few days. The emergency services and the people are looking after the vulnerable in Cork city. I welcome the visit of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Taoiseach to see the damage at first hand. I welcome what the Minister and Government have done today in making funding available. I commend all in the emergency services for the role they are playing. I hope that the water supply in Cork city will be restored by this weekend.

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