Huge enthusiasm spread when the members of the FlashFloodBreaker partnership met at Munster Technological University in Cork. With the University being formed only in 2021 we had the opportunity to gather in fascinatingly new facilities and buildings like in the MTU´s very own council room.
A great athmosphere where the project manager Marie-Édith Ploteau (EG) and Joe Harrington (MTU) did give a warm welcome to all the partners who travelled all the way to gather in the westernmost town of our partnership.
It is always a pleasure to travel to Ireland, despite of the wheather, you might say. And indeed Cork has had quite a typical, wet winter, with much of the season dominated by mild, wet conditions, several storms and almost constant rain. These conditions drastically changed towards the better once we arrived.
Flooding and Flood Mangement in Ireland
Stephen Finn from the Office of Public Works explained to the parters the Irish Flood Risk Design. By listing the numbers and figures of recent years, it became very clear that heavy rains and flash floods are a huge problem in Ireland that had to be adressed.
Donegal
Newcastle West
Dublin
Clifdon, Bantry
A national programme to confront flooding events
This stated Finn stressed the importance of the the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken in Ireland. This study included 300 Communities, including 90 Coastal communities. 80% of the primary flood risk has been assessed and over 3 Million people in communities have been studied. Within these communities 25% range with a population less than 500 people. Furthermore he explained the National CFRAM Programme, which published 40,000 Flood Maps, informing about Flood relief schemes, Planning decisions and Emergency response planning.
Included were furthermore 29 Flood Risk Management Plans and which led to recomendation of 119 new flood relief schemes.
These measures pile up to the €1bn of Investment by the Government in Flood Relief Measures, that will be invested over the time of 10 years starting in May 2018.
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Storm Babet´s effects on Midleton
In ctober, 2023 Storm Babet brought torrential rainfall to the south of Ireland with over 100 mm of rainfall experienced over a two-day period. This caused extensicve flooding impacting an estimated 389 homes and 285 businesses in Midleton with damage estimated at in excess of €100 million.
Alice Riordan, Senior Executive Engineer from Cork County Council explained how flashfloods have affected significantly several areas in Ireland. She made special reference to the town of Midleton in East Cork, where the River Owenacurra and its tributary the River Dungourney suffered an extreme flash flood event as a result of Storm Babet.
The FlashFloodBreaker partnership visited the location in Midleton where the flooding impact was experienced.