GER Hogan and his horse Peig epitomised the spirit of the city last weekend as they helped evacuate up to 200 local people from their flooded homes in the Island Field area of Limerick.
The 57 year-old father of seven spent most of the weekend ferrying people to safety after a combination of high tides and strong wind put the area under several feet of floodwater, leaving Ger and his trusty steed as the only form of transport.
With tensions high in the wake of the unprecedented flooding that submerged large parts of the city last weekend and the likelihood of further bad weather, the ESB moved swiftly to deny that it had any responsibility in the crisis.
Labour Party city councillor Tom Shortt, who lives in Thomondgate, insisted earlier this week that any discussion on the floods crisis should first establish the precise role played by the ESB. “Was the disaster and the extensive suffering man-made?” he asked.
In a statement to the Limerick Post on Wednesday, the power company emphasised that the flooding in Limerick City on Saturday, February 1 was caused by tidal flooding.
“There was a very high Spring tide accompanied by strong South-Westerly winds and low pressure. The effect of the water flowing down the Shannon, by comparison to the overwhelming volume of tidal water, was inconsequential and, in real terms, had no impact on the extent of flooding that occurred.”
“In times of flood such as this, in addition to the waters that go through Ardnacrusha power station, ESB release waters at Parteen Weir down the old Shannon route. If the flow of the river at Parteen Weir was reduced, it would not alleviate tidal flooding in Limerick city but it would exacerbate flooding upriver,” the statement added.
The ESB also stated that the safe discharge of flood waters takes precedence over the generation of electricity.
“ESB does everything, within its power, to alleviate the worst effects of flooding along the entire Shannon,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, in a Dáil debate on the Limerick floods this Tuesday, Deputy Kieran O’Donnell (FG) and Deputy Willie O’Dea (FF) both raised questions regarding the crisis with Minister of State Brian Hayes, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works .
Asking Mr Hayes when he expected the Government to be in a position to undertake an overall assessment of the level of humanitarian aid needed in Limerick, Deputy O’Donnell said that insurance coverage was an enormously urgent issue in Limerick because, as many of the people were living on a flood plain, they did not have insurance.
“We are talking about people’s homes. I ask the Minister to give us the timeframe in terms of when he will be in a position to provide conclusions and certainty to the people living in these areas in Limerick in respect of their homes”, he said .
In response to both Limerick Deputies, Minister Hayes said, “For people who have major structural problems with their home but who do not have insurance, I would have thought that will require capital funding from the State. It is too early to say whether that can be obtained in the original €15 million allocation but, ultimately, a great deal of damage has been done.
“If someone does not have insurance, we will have to work out exactly what can be obtained in each case as a means of making that house habitable again for that family or individual.”
