Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with Deputy Durkan. If the arterial drainage provisions had not been in place in the north and eastern part of County Cork, in the Blackwater catchment in particular, we would be dealing with a far greater catastrophe than that with which we are already dealing. To put it in context, seven people lost their lives in Storm Babet in the United Kingdom. We are very lucky that we are not talking about a loss of life event here on the scale of the water bomb that was dropped on Midleton and surrounding areas.

On Deputy Stanton’s question, an early flood warning system is under development by Met Éireann and the OPW is feeding into that. It is on track for delivery. Funding is not an issue in respect of the delivery of the large Midleton flood relief scheme. I told Cork County Council on Tuesday, and I say this to the other Deputies who raised this too, if they believe there are interim measures that will work – there is no point in putting in interim measures just to make people feel well about themselves – to come to us as soon as possible and we will turn that around.

We are having the specific issues which the Deputy raised with me yesterday evening examined by the Department.

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