Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

The recent floods that hit Cork city and county were the worst I have experienced. Unlike serious flooding in the past, this was caused by a combination of heavy rainfall and, in particular, the opening of the dam at Inniscarra. Before getting to the key questions that need to be answered, I would like to pay tribute to the emergency services of all the statutory bodies who were involved in providing relief to the people of Cork. Those who at times question the effectiveness of public services should recognise the importance of the work they did immediately before and after the flooding. Cork City Council front line staff provided relief for victims in homes and businesses. The Garda, the Army and the HSE were also heavily involved. I would also like to pay tribute to the staff of the parks and roads departments. They provided relief for those whose water was cut off for more than a week, including myself.

Last night Mr. Joe Gavin, Cork city manager, presented a report to the city councillors, which revealed that three warnings issued by the ESB in the 12 hours before the city began to flood significantly underestimated the volume of water the company would release through its dam in Inniscarra. The report states the ESB delivered three warnings to the council on 19 November at 11.30 a.m., 5 p.m. and 10.10 p.m. The final warning, which was sent less than an hour before the city began to flood, said discharge levels would increase up to 450 cubic metres per second. The city then experienced what has been described by one victim as "a mini-tsunami" causing millions of euro worth of damage throughout the city and also putting lives at risk. The report also states that, at a meeting at 4 p.m. the following day, the ESB revealed that in the hours after its final warning it had been forced to increase the discharge of water through the Inniscarra dam to 535 cubic metres per second but the company, significantly, said it was fully satisfied with its role in the management of the floods and with the adequacy of warnings to the local authorities.

In raising this issue on the Adjournment, I believe that nothing short of a public inquiry into the flooding in Cork will satisfy the victims of the floods. In the time available, I cannot deal with the issues of the quay walls or the availability of relief funding for victims whose homes and businesses were destroyed but I support the speedy implementation of relief schemes. What has happened has happened with all its tragic consequences for many people but we must apply ourselves to ensure such a catastrophe never happens again.

Many questions remain about the effectiveness of the warning system and the plans to protect the city from similar events in the future. Why were businesses and homeowners not given an effective advanced warning that would have allowed them to protect their property? What prompted the ESB to make the decision to release the huge volume of water from the Inniscarra dam? Did the ESB release water from the dam in the weeks and months before the flooding to minimise the effects of heavy rainfall? Was the structural integrity of the dam under threat? How much funding will be needed to reinforce the city's quay walls? Is there a need to examine how development on flood plains played a part in exacerbating the severity of the floods? What can be done in the long term to protect the city's water supply from being hit by flooding again?

A journalist in the Cork Evening Echo, Mr. Ronan Bagnall, set out these questions in a recent issue of the newspaper and he quoted an ESB spokesman who said that it would vigorously defend its management of the unprecedented flood of the River Lee in a forthcoming review. That review must be a fully transparent public enquiry into the events leading up to the flood. As this is the only format that will satisfy the victims of the flood, it must be done in a totally open manner. An internal review involving the agencies and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government will not be sufficient. The principles of transparency and accountability must be upheld. In his reply I hope the Minister of State will accede to the request for a full public inquiry and not a half-hearted review. All of the facts must come out.

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