Rathcormac residents affected by flooding set to meet with Fermoy MD
A deputation of residents from Rathcormac who were affected by recent flood events is to be received by the Fermoy Municipal District.
This comes following a motion tabled at Tuesday’s meeting of the Fermoy Municipal District by Cllr William O’Leary, who sought support from the elected members on the matter, as he noted that ‘it's important to have their voices heard’.
“I understand that there is going to be a number of applications going in the short term under the Climate Adaptation Fund, that’s welcome. In the meantime, I feel it would be important, with the agreement of members and the executive, I’d appreciate if we could arrange this and look at the particulars,” Cllr O’Leary said.
Fellow councillors supported the motion, with Cllr Kay Dawson stating that during the flood event, it was Midleton that gained most of the attention, however, Rathcormac families were just as affected.
“Rathcormac needs to see that we have their backs and that we’re going to fight the best we can to find solutions for it,” Cllr Dawson said.
SOLIDARITY WITH RESIDENTS
Pointing to the OPW’s CFRAMS scheme, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Frank O’Flynn, pressed the need to fast-track the local village as he noted that there are ‘very, very worried’ residents and businesses.
According to the councillor, those on the CFRAMS scheme who have suffered flooding in recent years should be prioritised.
“I cannot see why we cannot prioritise Rathcormac for CFRAMS funding. It is on the list for a number of years. A lot of the work has been done, a lot of the plans have been done and I just cannot see the reason why it cannot be prioritised,” Cllr O’Flynn said.
Cllr William O’Leary outlined that in his view, ‘the only real solution’ is to apply political pressure on the OPW and the department.
“In terms of this part of the country, the Northern Division and the Fermoy MD, there was nowhere worse off than Rathcormac. We do have to show solidarity and try and push this as hard as we can and as much as we can,” Cllr O’Leary added.
Senior engineer, Brendan O’Gorman, outlined that Cork County Council have met with Rathcormac Community Council and has sat down and discussed the issue at a ‘very proactive’ meeting.
Querying the interim measures, Cllr Deirdre O’Brien sought an update on what can be done in the event that CFRAMS cannot be fast-tracked for the area. Mr O’Gorman said that similar to Midleton, the council will be seeking funding and working with the OPW to advance certain works to bring relief to residents.