Noel Treacy (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I am grateful to the Ceann Comhairle for providing me with a further opportunity to speak in solidarity with the people of east County Galway.

A major crisis bedevils us at this time, with serious flooding reported throughout Galway East, from Ballymoe in the north-east corner to Beagh in the south-west corner, from Clonfert in the south-east corner to Headford in the north-west corner, and in all the towns and villages in between, including Gort, Labane, Kilcolgan, Killeenan, Craughwell, Athenry, Loughrea, New Inn and into Menlough, Abbeyknockmoy, Williamstown, Ballinasloe, Eyrecourt and Meelick. All these areas are in a serious state.

I arrived in the area last Friday to see the serious situation in Ballinasloe where the town square was under four feet of water. I have been all over the constituency negotiating in different areas with State agencies and the local community and liaising with volunteers. I pay tribute to the Taoiseach, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, and Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Deputy Mansergh, all of whom visited the constituency on Saturday and Monday. Working through the day and into the night we saw at first hand the seriousness of the situation.

Cattle are drowning, people are isolated, churches are flooded, businesses are destroyed, housing estates are under water and people must be relocated and evacuated at short notice with nothing but the clothes on their backs. This is a serious challenge. The country faces a crisis as a result of climate change and three years of incessant rain. I hope all the State agencies, under Government direction, will be able to work together to bring about a resolution to the problem by providing humanitarian aid and assistance for agriculture. I thank the Minister for providing aid and dispatching officials to the constituency to experience conditions at first hand.

At a joint meeting of the Joint Committees on Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and European Affairs this afternoon, I was proud to move a motion seeking full support for an application by Ireland to the European Commission for major assistance from the European solidarity fund. We need additional humanitarian aid and resources for the management of water systems and flood diversion and flood alleviation programmes.

All those affected are in a serious state. I spoke today to various farmers who were marooned with their livestock. In the past week I have spoken to many women and children who are in a distraught state as a result of having to leave their homes. Leaving one's home is very difficult, especially for young mothers with children and old people.

While I am grateful for the action taken by the Government thus far, we need national, regional, local and area plans to deal with the flood crisis bedevilling the nation and devastating my constituency. I am grateful to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, for providing support over the weekend and the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, for coming to the House, on behalf of the Government, to hear what is the position at first hand.

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