Flooding nightmare continues for Galway families
Between 30 and 40 residents in Fohenagh in North Galway remain isolated and cut adrift – a full two months after flooding struck.
The eight homes along Ballymacward Road out of Fohenagh have been cut-off from the main road due to severe flooding, which makes it almost impossible to pass.
Galway County Council has stationed a worker at the entrance to the cul de sac daily from 7am to 9pm – he helps residents get in and out of their homes on an agricultural loader.
Locals, who dubbed it the ‘Pope Mobile’, say the loader was only supposed to be a temporary solution but there is no end in sight. Outside of 7am-9pm, residents must walk through fields to get out.
The floods hit in December and waters along the road remain very high, according to one resident this week.
“This is the third time in 40 years this has happened,” the man explained.
“This is the worst ever though. It’s gone on for two months. It was bad in 2009 but it lasted only a week or two. This time is a lot worse. It was four and a half feet high a couple of weeks ago. It’s still high and a car wouldn’t drive through it,” he said.
The resident complained that it is a big nuisance and inconvenience but there are also genuine fears about whether emergency services can access the area.
“Going to work, shopping and the school runs have been severely curtailed because of the hardship and stress of having to organise transport. The postal service we take for granted has been stopped with all the mail having to be collected at the local post office in Ahascragh, five miles away,” he said.
A number of measures had been touted as possible solutions – including creating a new road, or elevating the existing one – but none have been implemented.
See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.