THE rush to find someone – or something – to blame after last weekend’s extensive flooding around the county has started already.
At a Council meeting this week, everything from the farming community to eco warriors were blamed for streams and rivers which overflowed last weekend, causing road closures and damage to domestic and commercial businesses.
It is almost unbelievable to think that some people still cannot see the wood for the (waterlogged) trees.
They do not seem capable of admitting that there is only one place to lay the blame for the increase in torrential rainfall – and that is climate change.
And there is only one place to lay the blame for climate change – and that is with humankind.
Years of economic greed and over-use of dangerous fuels have led us to this situation, where our self-destructive actions have created a warmer climate, meaning the northern Atlantic will experience longer and more sustained periods of heavy rain.
No matter whether we dredge rivers or clear them, we are now at a stage akin to trying to empty a swimming pool with a teaspoon.
Trying to find other elements to blame is a waste of time – and time that we no longer have.
We are way past the deadline for finding solutions to this existential problem.
We can no longer hope to reverse the damage, but we can attempt to contain it.
The problems are now arising almost quicker than we can hope to address them – last weekend’s flooding was a perfect example of that.
While councillors have been debating for the past few years about the inadequate funding for local road maintenance, the roads themselves are collapsing before their eyes.
A long strip of roadway outside Skibbereen which was ripped up by the rainwater last week confirmed that the damage that can be caused by rain is almost as destructive as wind.
And the Russagh road condition was replicated all around the county, which became very evident as the floodwaters receded on Sunday.
The collapsed verges of so many local roads are now treacherous for driving – especially given the narrow width of them to begin with.
If they are not immediately tended to, this summer’s tourists will be struggling to navigate our already dangerous roads network.
And there is no sign that the instances of heavy rainfall are going to reduce before the busy tourism season, or even during it.
Now is the time for action.
The government must be urged to provide proper funding, not just to repair roads, but to future-proof them for years to come.
This may involve some difficult decisions about relocating homes or even businesses, and raising some roads where additional flood defences are not suitable.
And we must also look at the areas which are most vulnerable to heavy rainfall and proceed with the knowledge that downpours will become a fact of life every few weeks – or maybe even days – for a lengthy part of our year in West Cork.
With water treatment plants affected by heavy rainfall – as was evidenced this week by the water restrictions in Macroom – a plan to capture and harvest rainfall should be a government priority, in the same way as retrofitting homes has been in the past decade.
Big ticket thinking is needed now and all options must be considered.
Listening to politicians clamouring to find scapegoats is disheartening at best and sickening at worst, especially for those affected by last weekend’s weather and the many more who have been affected in the past.
Forget the blame game. Address the issues, and acknowledge the urgency of them.
And let West Cork be an example to others of what can be done when all agencies are on the same page, writing a better future.
