Assurances promised for Killybegs floods as 'life has not been normal since'

Senator Manus Boyle has been assured that measures are being taken to provide a humanitarian fund to those who saw their homes and businesses damaged by a flood in Killybegs last year.

Senator Boyle had stressed his concerns following the flooding at Bridge Street in November, which was also flooded in both 2012 and 2017, and “people awoke to the sound of the local fire brigade and locals knocking on the doors to get residents out.”

Flood waters rose to approximately 1.2 metres and flooded 16 houses and nine businesses, and Senator Boyle said that he wished somebody from Donegal County Council or the Department would liaise with the group on that bridge to Killybegs.

“Residents could not believe their eyes,” Senator Boyle added in the Seanad on Thursday morning. “It was something one would see in a film, and that is putting it mildly. This was the second time it happened, and we can never let it happen again. I was on site the morning of November 24 and saw first-hand the decimation it caused. The local people got stuck in as soon as possible once the alarm was raised, and I cannot thank them enough.

“Residents now cannot sleep at night when there is a weather warning. It is March now and the sandbags are still outside the doors, believe it or not. Some businesses have closed. The launderette was there for decades, but it closed. It served the town and the whole area from Malin Beg as far as Donegal town. It was heartbreaking for that family to have had to close.

“Life has not been normal on Bridge Street since. I ask the Minister of State for a helping hand to try to get it sorted out once and for all so that this will never happen again.”

Kevin Boxer Moran, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, said steps are being taken.

“The Office of Public Works (OPW) met Donegal County Council to review the potential flood relief measures," he said. "Donegal County Council and the OPW have worked together to prepare a list of potential flood relief measures and have agreed a pilot scheme to roll out, which will be 100% funded by the OPW.

“The pilot is being delivered by Donegal County Council, which is tasked with scoping and managing contracts for specialist consultants and contractors who will complete the flood relief works. It will categorise the magnitude of the flooding in 2024 against historic flooding in 2017 and in 2012. Proposed measures will be modelled to assess their benefits and crucially to ensure there is no increased flood risk elsewhere.

“All proposed works will aid in understanding the delivery of the main flood relief scheme for Killybegs, which is on the flood risk management plan for the county. Advanced works implemented through the pilot scheme will not provide the same standard of protection as the main scheme, but will help to reduce the impact, particularly during lower magnitude floods.

“The first phase of these works is now underway. Donegal County Council has been given approval to undertake channel clearance and drainage works and to undertake an assessment of the drainage network together with supply and installation of non-return valves on the council’s owned roads drainage system.

READ NEXT: Down Syndrome Ireland’s Donegal Branch celebrates Arranmore's Super Seán

“Donegal County Council has also been approved to engage consultants to undertake a hydrological review of the CFRAM (Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management) data, updating it to include the November 2024 event as well as the 2017 event, if possible, such that 2024 and 2017 return periods are estimated and design flows updated accordingly as necessary.

“This potentially could include a review of the existing topographic sections with a recommendation on what new survey data may be required. The council is to review and prioritise a long list of potential measures that could be achieved on a short- and medium-term basis, informed in part by the consenting requirements for each measure.

Senator Boyle replied: “The Minister of State was in Bridge Street when this happened and is well aware of it. I just wish that somebody from Donegal County Council or the Department would liaise with the group on that same bridge to Killybegs.

“The people living there only want information, to see that something is going to be done, and to know when it will start and when it will finish. A humanitarian fund is really needed. This is five months on.”

“I fully understand,” Deputy Moran replied. “I have been engaged with my officials. In regard to a humanitarian fund, I will see where that is at and try to get it to those people.

“I can assure the Senator that my officials are working closely with me and the council. I have been invited to that particular area again. I am a person who, when I go to an area, I want to have something to say. I want to ease the worry and fear they have. I want to assure them that, as Minister of State, I will be behind them and help them as best I can. However, as I said, I will work with the local authority. Changes are coming and I hope in the not-too-distant future we will have something good to say.”