Over 30 homes destroyed by flooding in Bettystown

Torrential rain in the early hours of Saturday morning coupled with high tides saw over 30 homes in Bettystown destroyed by flooding.

Emergency services helped some families evacuate their properties while others chose to remain in their homes but without electricity and await for waters to subside.

The scenes of devastation on the Village Estate and Eastham Road have led to calls to urgent flood prevention measures to be put in place while representations have been made to the Taoiseach's office to request urgent compensation for victims of the weekend's flooding.

"It's the whole of the Village Estate which has something like 36 or 37 homes and only one or two of those have not been affected, the rest are completely flooded," said local Cllr Sharon Tolan.

According to Cllr Tolan the flooding threat started in the Northlands which historically has always been a problem area having being built on a flood plain.

"In 2005, cllrs, against the advice of planners in Meath Co Council voted to make it residential and once zoning is given their hands are tied regarding granting planning permission.

"So when the problems started with Northlands the OPW got involved and a flood mitigation scheme was built which for the most part is very successful however we always have two pumps on hand because we are smack in the middle of so many different streams and in between two major rivers (the Nanny and the Boyne)."

Cllr Tolan believes the intense rainfall that fell in the early hours of Saturday morning coupled with a very high tide, recorded at 4.95 metres meant there was no way to alleviate the pressure on the affected estates. "Even though the council were pumping it out of the Northlands, the water had nowhere to go so the water levels rose in the Village Estate and the Eastham Caravan park and we have over 30 homes completely destroyed."

Cllr Tolan spoke with residents of flooded homes on Saturday evening. "Some of them had family and friends they could go to, some of them didn't and remained in their houses even though the ESB had shut off power to the estate."

Council Chief Executive (Fiona Lawless) visited the scene today (Monday) and Meath Co Council has been asked if they can provide skips so a clean up up of the affected estates can get underway. Council staff had been on site all weekend pumping water from the affected areas and the Mornington stream once the tide started to abate.

"I've contacted the Taoiseach because a compensation package has to be put in place for these residents. They have no insurance because they are on a flood plain. Cllr Tolan says that had a flood mitigation scheme been delivered for their estate as well as the Northlands, this wouldn't have happened.

"The OPW really need to act, they've known about this for years, they took the responsibility from Meath Co Council to deliver these flood mitigation measures and as far as I can see they have dragged their heels. Commitments were made to residents and it just hasn't happened."

"The Government needs to step in here and make sure people are compensated and assisted."

It's understood that the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management which co-ordinates emergency responses and give support to the Irish Fire Service have requested the Dept of Social Protection to engage their Community Welfare Officers with local residents so they can assist with what humanitarian aid is required.

"Some of these people are very vulnerable people, some are renting, some are elderly. We believe there were some older persons on oxygen machines in the caravan park and I'm grateful to the emergency services who made contact with that person to make sure they had a direct connection to keep that oxygen supply going.

"It's been a really worrying and upsetting couple of days for an awful lot of people and it was very hard having to walk out of that estate on Saturday night leaving people who stayed in their flooded homes without power."

"I promise I will do all I can to ensure this never happens again. Mistakes of the past continue to wreak havoc on our area, but I will do all I can to make sure we deliver the measures to protect our homes into the future.

Cathaoirleach of Laytown/Bettystown Municipal District, Councillor Stephen McKee, is calling for immediate flood prevention works to be undertaken by Meath County Council to prevent future flooding of homes on the Eastham Road, Bettystown.

WATCH: Residents in Bettystown express concern that a new housing development could be affected by flooding..RTE report from 2016.

McKee stated: "The recent heavy rainfall and flooding of a number of homes on the Eastham Road, Bettystown shows just how important it is that flood prevention works are carried out to resolve this. We know that such heavy periods of rainfall will happen again and that flooding is happening more regularly in the area. The Council need to identify what needs to be done and to carry out work as a matter of urgency.’

"I have spoken to a number of residents impacted by the flooding and I have assured them that I will do all I can to try and ensure that such events don’t impact on homes again into the future".

The OPW has been approached for comment.

More to follow....