A hotel in Midleton, Co Cork has spent the last two days assisting locals whose homes were ruined in Storm Babet by setting up camp beds and offering free breakfasts.
Ken Moore, manager at the Midleton Park Hotel, and his staff brought camp beds to a function room to accommodate residents from a local health facility after Wednesday’s deluge. They have also helped families who saw their homes flooded when a month’s worth of rain fell in the town in just 24 hours.
Anais Gilles, the hotel’s sales and marketing manager, said that offering free camp beds to locals was the least they could do for a town that has always been so good to them.
“We have had camp beds in one of the function rooms for the last two nights. We had a lot of cancellations one of the nights so we gave the rooms as quickly as we could to help everybody,” she said. “Some people have been very sad coming in to us. Some have lost their house. Some have lost their cars. And just two months before Christmas. It is just terrible what has happened.”
Meanwhile, 10 households in Riverview off the Mill Road in Midleton have been cut off from the town after the bridge over the river was destroyed. Families were waiting on Friday for the flood waters to recede and for the bridge to be repaired to allow them to drive out of the estate.
Speaking in Cork, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said council staff were working to restore access to the town for impacted residents in Riverview.
Mr McGrath also confirmed that businesses affected by flooding who require financial support would receive assistance from next week. He also said a planning application for a flood defence scheme for Midleton will be launched early next year but declined to give an exact timeline.
“I would be really reluctant to even give an estimate for a time because I think what people want is not further promise they want delivery of the scheme,” he said.
“What I can confirm is that funding is in place for a flood relief scheme in Midleton. It will cost at least €50 million and the estimate is that it will protect around 600 properties. There has been extensive engagement with stakeholders and the OPW confirmed to us yesterday that early next year they expect to be in a position to lodge a formal planning application. It depends then on objections, possible court actions judicial reviews and so on.”
Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan visited Midleton Fire Station and toured the town to express his solidarity with businesses and householders. He said that the community in Midleton has “pulled together in a remarkable clean-up effort.”
He met Cork County Council officials, first responders, traders and volunteers in the town and pledged the support of the Government in the clean-up and rebuilding operation.