ANGRY
Southside residents whose homes were severely damaged in the recent flooding
for the third time since 2007, have slammed their local authority for failing
to carry out long mooted works that could have protected their properties.
During
Sunday, October 23 and Monday 24, record rainfall across Dublin of up to 120mm
caused the Carysfort/Maretimo stream in the Stillorgan/Blackrock area to burst
its banks.
Floodwaters
up to two feet deep damaged scores of private homes along a two kilometre
stretch of the route of the stream and affected several estates including the
Orpen Estate, Avondale Lawn, Carysfort Park and Barclay Court.
Many
of the houses had also been affected by previous flooding that caused millions
of euros worth of damage to residential and commercial properties in the area
in 2007 and 2009.
After
the flooding of July 2007, Southside People exclusively revealed that Dun
Laoghaire Rathdown County Council had not carried out flood alleviation works
on the Carysfort/Maretimo Stream that could have averted the disaster.
This
was despite the fact that in 2002 the Department of the Environment had granted
planning approval and full funding of
?¬2.5 for the project to the local
authority – a full five years earlier.
In
July 2009 the home of Jamie Kennedy, who lives at Avondale Lawn, was severely
damaged by heavy flooding.
He
told Southside People at the time that because the area had a history of
flooding no insurance company would cover his home or the homes of many of his
neighbours.
Therefore,
he had to spend thousands of euros at his own expense installing floodgates
outside his home after the deluge that summer.
Last
week, Mr Kennedy told Southside People that his home and the homes of over 20
of his neighbours in Avondale Lawn had again been badly affected by the latest
flood.
He
now faces a potential bill of up to
?¬10,000 to repair the flood damage that
occurred last month.
He
also estimated that some of his neighbours would also have to meet costs of up
to
?¬40,000 each.
“Some
of my neighbours had a foot and a half of water inside their houses,
? he
revealed.
“This was the most devastating flooding that Avondale Lawn has ever
experienced since it was built in the mid 1960s. Compared to 2009 it was so
much worse that even with my flood gates up, it was coming over the front
garden wall. At that stage my defences were useless.
?
In
2010 the council again included the flood alleviation scheme in their capital
works programme at a cost of
?¬5.9 million.
However,
the project was significantly delayed after the Department of the Environment
ordered a review of the decision the council made to turn down a tender that
one contractor had submitted for the scheme.
The
department ordered the review after the council rejected the tender on the
basis that it was abnormally low.
The
company that eventually won the tender began the flood works on June 31 of this
year. The council estimated that at the time of the flooding on October 27,
some 20 per cent of the scheme had been completed.
“The
council had the funding to carry out these works in 2001 and they didn’t do
it,
? Mr Kennedy argued.
“They had the funding in 2005 and they didn’t do it.
?
The
home of Gerry O’Neill, who lives in Orpen Green, was damaged again in the
latest deluge after it had also previously been flooded in 2007 and 2009.
“The
whole downstairs of my house was destroyed,
? he related.
“The house of the
fellah behind me is destroyed. His garden wall was washed into my living room.
?
Local
councillor Victor Boyhan (Ind) has called on the council to complete the flood
alleviation scheme as a matter of urgency.
A
council spokesman said the flood works on the Carysfort/Maretimo Stream were
due to be completed in July 2012.
“The
deluge of water on Monday, October 27 was an unprecedented event,
? he said.
“A
total of 124mm of rain fell in a 32-hour period from noon on Sunday, October 23
to 8pm on Monday, October 24,
?
The
spokesman added that council crews were deployed across the county throughout
the night and that a review was currently underway to develop a full
understanding of the nature and consequences of what occurred.