OWNERS of businesses in Bantry were described as ‘living on a knife edge’ as they pick up the pieces and count the financial costs of the devastating floods which swamped the town last Saturday, not knowing when the next flooding event will occur.
As the town faced its fifth flooding since 2018, business owners, as well as public representatives, have called for immediate work on the town’s culverts, as well as timely progress on the town’s much-needed flood relief scheme.
Businesses along both Main Street and New Street were most affected, as over 63mm of rain fell in about 12 hours.
Staff in De Barras clearing flood water
Culverts couldn’t handle the volume of water, leading to manholes erupting and water rising through the floors of businesses. Shocked business owners scrambled to halt the water engulfing their premises and to salvage stock.
Local councillor and publican Cllr Danny Collins (Ind Ire), who had flooding outside his own business, said the people of Bantry are ‘living on a knife edge’ and people had tears in their eyes when he met them on Saturday.
A meeting was held on Wednesday with Cork County Council, the Office of Public Works (OPW), Uisce Éireann and consultants to explore ways of expediting work on the culverts which run under the town. Minister for State with responsibility for the OPW, Kieran O’Donnell, visited Bantry on Sunday to meet with business owners and residents.
the aftermath of the flood at Helen O'Sullivan's farm
Watch Helen O'Sullivan's farm being flooded below:
Being flood-ready has become part of life for Eddie Wiseman and his team at Wiseman’s clothes shop on Main Street. He said an interim solution is urgently needed because work on the town culverts will be five to six years away, by the time it reaches construction stage.
He said their problem is upstream with the water coming down too fast and is not a tidal issue. ‘Water is coming down at an accelerated pace and we need to slow the flow of water – that’s the role of the OPW. It shouldn’t be a big job and it can be completed far quicker than any works on the culverts,’ he told The Southern Star.
He has rented five industrial dehumidifiers at a cost of €36 per day plus vat, and the electricity expense. His shop’s laminated flooring was also damaged. ‘We reopened on Monday. You carry on and work around your problems. Once we know there is a possibility of flooding, we have stock ready to move and out of danger. We had sandbags and had everything done – but we still got hit.’
Ruby Morley opened her giftware shop Seadog four months ago. She estimated she has lost a couple of thousand euro worth of stock. ‘It happened so fast. My sister was working at the time and had to try and save as much stock as quickly as possible. If neighbours and even passers-by hadn’t stepped in to help, it could have been a lot worse,’ said Ruby, who has installed two industrial dehumidifiers, and six domestic ones to dry the shop.
‘The smell of damp water is disgusting,’ she said.
Danielle Hegarty, chairperson of Bantry Business Association, said the problem isn’t getting fixed fast enough and urged the OPW to prioritise it.
‘The town has flooded four times between 2018 and 2020 but this flooding came from the culverts and was not due to the tide,’ she said.
She said waivers of rates by Cork County Council or other initiatives that can benefit businesses would be welcome.
Junior minister Kieran O'Donnell in Bantry on Sunday. (Bantry photos: Andy Gibson)
‘People have lost stock, flooring, and their time as businesses not affected also had to close.’ She praised the community spirit on Saturday as businesses like O’Keeffe’s SuperValu and the Maritime Hotel offered food and other services to Council staff, Bantry Fire Brigade, and other volunteers.
‘Bantry is back open and I hope people across the region continue to support the businesses and shop local,’ she said.
Jesse Hegarty of Burkes of Bantry on Main Street said it is ‘sickening’ to be dealing with the fear and uncertainty about how much damage will be caused. ‘The volume of water was unreal with the culverts unable to take the capacity of water. We ended up with water coming up through the floor of the ladies shop with about a foot of water. Staff moved all the stock up to another level so we were lucky.’
He said the culverts issue must be dealt with. ‘Will we be having this same conversation in four years’ time?’ he asked.
