EMERGENCY TEAMS and communities plan to maintain a flood alert in the west, as 20-40mm of rain is forecast for the region over the weekend.
The immediate infrastructural repair bill for recent flooding has cost Galway county “millions”, according to county manager Martina Moloney, with minor repairs on national roads costing €1.25 million alone.
At least 2,000 inquiries have also been received by insurance companies for Galway, while the average initial emergency payment is just €300 per household.
Speaking to The Irish Timesyesterday, Ms Moloney said local authority staff and emergency services would be on standby over the next two days.
“We normally rate a forecast of 50mm of rain as a flood alert, but given what has occurred over the past three weeks we have to be vigilant,” she said.
The local authority is trying to collate figures for the total number of people who have had to leave homes and/or businesses. Officially, some 100 people were evacuated directly, but multiples of this figure “self-evacuated or evacuated on advice”, she said.
South Galway remains critical, and the experience of flooding there in 1995 suggested that water levels would take “weeks to recede”, she said.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley has provided supplementary funding of €10 million to assist local authorities in meeting exceptional costs associated with the current flooding.
This is in addition to the humanitarian assistance package of just under €10 million administered by the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and €2 million provided by the Department of Agriculture for the agricultural sector.
The HSE West said its remit did not extend to concerns raised by a number of homeowners and businesses about the value of carrying out refurbishment works while the threat of flooding remained – a threat which may remain in the long term due to climate change factors.
Independent TD for Galway West, Noel Grealish, said earlier this week he was in discussions with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan on an indemnity scheme for such cases, similar to that which applied on motor insurance policies, where a levy could be placed on premiums to cover insurance claims against uninsured drivers.
The Department of Finance said yesterday it was involved in “ongoing contacts with the insurance industry, including the Irish Insurance Federation”.
Mr Lenihan this week confirmed the Government would discuss the issue with the insurance industry “to see what options or possible solutions may be available”, and the outcome would be “further considered by the Government as part of its overall review of recent events”.
Earlier this week Minister for the Environment John Gormley confirmed that the average pay-out under the humanitarian assistance scheme was €300, and more than 470 such initial payments had been made by community welfare officers.