'Local people must be listened to': Mary Lou on flooding crisis

 

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD, alongside Longford/Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke and TD for Roscommon/Galway Claire Kerrane, is in Athlone today amidst the latest severe flooding to hit the region.

She reiterated the party's calls for a single Shannon authority and also urged that local people at the brunt of the flooding be listened to.

She said: "I want to pay tribute to the emergency services and local authority workers who have braved the conditions to assist those affected by flooding thus far.

"People throughout the Shannon region are impacted; roads are impassable in places, agricultural lands are unusable in many areas and many people fear for the safety of their homes," she said.

She met with some local residents and representatives of some local groups.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and TDs Sorca Clarke and Claire Kerrane with local residents and others in the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.

"This region has experienced serious flooding before and residents are rightly angry and frustrated that plans to alleviate the risks of flooding have been not materialised

 

“Sinn Féin have proposed a standalone body to manage the Shannon and its surroundings. That must be a priority for any new government.

 

"It is vital that additional supports are now provided to ensure that the impact of flooding is minimised and so that life can return to normal for people as the flooding subsides.”

 

See here for her interviews with local and national media outside the Shamrock Lodge Hotel.