"It is nearly two years on from Storm Babet and we are still as exposed to such severe flooding as we were in October 2023. We are here today to underline to the council that we are still here, we are not going away and we will not be forgotten about. We are not going to sit around waiting for the next flood to destroy our homes and our businesses and literally to threaten our lives."
"The group said it was a miracle no one was killed two years ago when homes were swamped by flood waters, which rose to chest height in a matter of minutes. Flooding was so sudden during Storm Babet that several people, including a pregnant woman, were trapped in a beauty salon on Midleton's main street. They managed to escape out a back door and over a wall minutes before the front window collapsed under the weight of the water."
A rally was staged outside Cork County Hall by the Midleton and East Cork Flood Protection Group as residents demanded urgent flood defences. Residents fear proper protections might not be installed for another ten years and call on the council to prioritise action. During Storm Babet two years earlier, floodwaters rose to chest height within minutes, trapping people in a beauty salon and sweeping several off their feet; neighbours conducted rescues. Hundreds of homes were flooded by drains, sewers and septic tanks. Only limited measures — a small industrial sandbag wall and some dredging — have been completed, while reports and assessments continue and project start dates remain unavailable.
Read at Irish Independent
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