Call for Taoiseach and his Ministers to visit the coalface of flood regions

THE head of the IFA’s National Flood Project Team has called for a more ‘hands on’ approach to the worsening flood crisis from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his Government Ministers.

Tom Turley told the Farming Tribune that across the flood hit areas of the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron was ‘at the coalface’, while here, leading politicians were conspicuous by their absence.

“We really should have our Taoiseach and senior Ministers visiting areas like South Galway where families are having their lives turned upside down with the flooding crisis.

“Our leaders should be here at first hand to see the scale of the problem. The magnitude of the situation just doesn’t seem to be getting through in Dublin,” said Tom Turley.

Whole chunks of South Galway are now under floodwater this week with many roads impassable in the Peterswell, Skehanagh, Kilternan, Tierneevin and Ballynasteigue areas.

Weather warnings have been issued in the aftermath of Storm Frank on Tuesday with another Atlantic low due to cross the region on Friday night/Saturday morning with heavy rain again on Sunday and another storm on Wednesday/Thursday of next week.

Homes in the Clonfert area of East Galway are also under threat due to rising floodwaters in the Shannon while the Clare River catchment area is also under serious flood risk over the next seven days.