Funding must be made available to those affected by flooding

Athlone has been one of the worst hit areas by flooding in recent days with over 100 families being forced to evacuate their homes in the greater Athlone area as the water levels in the Shannon reach a record high. For many they have seen their homes flooded, their personal belongings destroyed and have been forced to live in temporary accommodation without any of the comforts, or in some cases facilities, of home. Aside from the personal anguish they must feel at being torn from their homes, not knowing what they will return to and when they will be able to return, there is the obvious financial burden. Many are worried the structural damage caused will mean they cannot return to their homes, but if and when they can, they will have to face the onerous task of drying out their houses and their belongings. However, for many they have been unable to get insurance because they have previously flooded and now face the added worry of how they will finance the clean-up of their homes. While Athlone Town Council, Roscommon County Council and Westmeath County Council moved quickly to rehouse those who had to evacuate their homes in local hotels, B&Bs and rented accommodation, and must be commended for doing so, the local authorities are now faced with the task of trying to find the funding of such an operation from next year's budget. Quite simply funding must be made available from Central Government to alleviate the financial burden and worry of those who have had to leave their homes and now must face into the major clean-up operation in what has developed in to a national emergency since the weekend. While there hasn't been a day when the current economic climate hasn't been reported on, surely we must be able to make money available to those who need it most, those who have lost not just their houses and belongings, but their homes, and in some cases their memories. And while the immediate focus must be on the clean-up operation and in providing assistance to those who are worst hit, we must also take this opportunity to look to the future and ensure that this doesn't happen again. Now is the time to put in place plans and flood relief measures in place to try to prevent such a disaster ever happening again. There have been calls from politicians this week to take aerial photos of the area to ascertain the worst hit areas and use this information when putting together development plans for the Athlone area in the future. Such forward thinking must not only be commended, but must be pursued to see that this isn't allowed to occur again. A public meeting being held tonight in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel provides a good opportunity for those affected and those with concerns to discuss future plans in this regard. Now is the time to put in place a plan to deal with such emergency situations in the future and not simply sit back and wait for them to happen again.