Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to be able to speak on this very serious issue. There is no better day than today to speak about flooding and the threat of flooding. I welcome the funds allocated this week to alleviate much of the damage done before the new year and since then. Much of that money was requested and all of it has been granted to local authorities and other agencies to deal with the issues.

It is very important to realise that it is a disaster for communities which experience flooding regularly and for those who are directly affected. It is also a disaster for homeowners and business owners and, at its most serious, it is potentially fatal in that people lose their lives during flooding events. Thankfully, that has not happened this time but it is something which needs to be avoided and dealt with when we prioritise flooding schemes and measures.

When a community or a town experiences a flooding event, it sucks the life, confidence, hope and prospects out of it. The hit to potential investment is huge. The confidence of people is shattered and a sense of despair sets in. Unfortunately, we have seen that far too often in towns in my constituency, including Skibbereen, Bandon, Clonakilty and Bantry, and in some villages.

It is in that context that I am grateful the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, took time to reaffirm that schemes to deal with Skibbereen and Clonakilty will go ahead and that Bandon will be dealt with next year by the OPW. I pay a particular compliment to the staff of the OPW whose expertise is invaluable. They have built up huge knowledge over the past number of years which we have seen in the flood mapping that has been issued to local authorities. I suppose many people would have looked at those maps with some cynicism but many local authorities have been presented with them so that they can be considered as part of their development plan process. Local authorities can be in no doubt as to the value of considering those flood risk maps when developing their land use policies in the future. This does not mean there is a blanket ban on development within those areas; it means that if one is considering developing or doing anything where there is a risk of flooding, one must take appropriate measures to deal with it. That is a welcome step which we should acknowledge.

I pay tribute emergency personnel who are out this evening. They have played a huge role in helping to save lives. Unfortunately, there has been a very regrettable incident in my constituency. One fatality has been recovered but another man is still missing. Our thoughts are with their families and communities.

Met Éireann is excellent at issuing forecasts. Where I live, we will listen to sea area forecasts intently every day. Met Éireann will issue a small craft warning if there is any risk to the safety of mariners but I would like that mainstream forecasting alert system to include people who take part in other activities, such as hill walking, mountain climbing or activities on or near the coast. Regrettably, the vast majority of fatalities or casualties which occur in a maritime environment happen to those on land because they get lost. Almost fortnightly, we hear of people getting lost, whether rock fishing, hill walking or cliff walking. I would like Met Éireann to issue more mainstream alerts for those kinds of activities and to warn people there are dangers in inclement weather and during flooding events.

It is worth noting that more than 250,000 houses are without power this evening. Personnel from the ESB are out in inclement weather trying to restore power to homes. People will rightly be annoyed that they are without power but we must take time to reflect on some of the work the utilities are doing to rectify that situation.

I particularly welcome the announcement by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, to which the Minister of State, Deputy Kehoe, referred, of a basic but welcome scheme for inshore fishermen who have, in many cases, lost their livelihoods as a result of the recent inclement weather and coastal flooding. Many of them did the right thing by storing their gear, pots etc., on piers and quays around our coastline but they have been lost. It is a small but welcome initiative which, hopefully, will alleviate difficulties for some of these fisherman and incentivise them to get back on their feet and to reinvest and provide a living for their families and communities.

Every flooding event is different. A coastal event is brought on, by and large, by a sequence of south-east winds, typically high tides or spring tides and heavy rainfall but there is also river flooding which is mainly brought on by heavy rainfall. We must start to think about some serious arterial drainage works. Rivers in every county have been neglected for far too long. Drainage or dredging works have not taken place and they have not been cleaned. They need to be reassessed. I urge the bodies which have authority over rivers to look beyond the single mandate they have, address the issue in the public good and consider, in a different way, how minor drainage works could help alleviate the problems for communities and landowners throughout the length and breadth of this country, which is very important.

I refer to one initiative which could be replicated throughout the country. In Skibbereen, a local flood committee, which has been very active, decided it would work with the local authority, town council staff and civil defence and establish protocols.

It is involved in examining and looking after some of the storm and flood drains, the watercourses and the pumping equipment. It has access to other equipment that is useful in the event of a flood. It distributes sandbags and helps home owners to access their own flood defences. It has worked extremely well in Skibbereen on many occasions. I pay tribute to the volunteers who have stepped up to the mark, helped to save their own communities and restored the confidence of householders and businesses. They have taken their endeavours a step further by organising flood forum conferences on the national stage. They have shown initiative by accessing national and international expertise and looking at how other communities, towns and areas around Ireland could benefit from it without a substantial financial investment being required. Ultimately, serious capital investment from the State will be needed in all of these areas and towns. A figure between €1.5 billion and €2 billion for the entire country has been suggested in this regard. If such investment is necessary, it should be done over a certain timeframe to give confidence and security to those whose properties are at risk of flooding.

We also need to deal with the insurance issue. I have no problem saying that the insurance companies could be much better at stepping up to the mark. They are denying flood insurance to the owners of properties and lands that have never flooded by virtue of their vicinity to areas that have flooded. This serious problem ties the owners in question into their lands and properties forever. It completely maroons people in one spot. It is a very difficult issue to deal with. I am conscious this evening that my area has been experiencing hurricane-force winds. We are thankful that there has not been greater loss of life or more injuries. As I mentioned earlier, one person is missing and another person's body has been found in west Cork. That loss of life is foremost in our thoughts.

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