Call for drainage scheme as The Neale remains flooded

More severe weather strikes county during Storm Jorge

Anton McNulty

A DRAINAGE scheme around The Neale needs to be a number one priority to prevent flooding in the future, according to a local councillor as households in parts of south Mayo face into another week of flooding uncertainty.
The main R334 road between The Neale and Ballinrobe at The Neale crossroads has been closed due to flooding for over a week while other minor roads in the south Mayo area are also affected by flooding.
Three houses remain marooned due to rising flood water with the Civil Defence called out yesterday (Monday) to transport one person back to his house after a stay in hospital. Local councillor Damien Ryan said that while the water levels dropped last week, they have risen again and the threat of flooding remains a reality for a number of households.
“The situation is still as bad and it has not improved, with roads still impassable and homes still marooned. The threat to people’s property is still there and while the water did recede last week it would only take another heavy downpour over a 24 or 36 hour period to result in property being flooded,” Cllr Ryan told The Mayo News.
“What this highlights is the need for a drainage system around The Neale to be placed at the top of list of priorities and I will be raising this at the municipal district meeting on Wednesday and at next Monday’s Council meeting. The water dropped at The Neale on Saturday and the surrounding area also began to drop. This means that if the drainage scheme at The Neale is sorted every other area will have less flooding as a result,” he claimed.

Dredging
Cllr Ryan also called for the canal linking Lough Corrib and Galway Bay to be dredged and was highly critical of the lack of activity on the ground by the Office of Public Works in south Mayo. He said the state agency should be more democratically accountable and criticised them for not engaging with elected representatives.
While Storm Jorge battered the county over the weekend with heavy winds, the county escaped significant damage. A Status Orange wind warning was issued by Met Éireann for Saturday and a wind gust of 57 knots or 105km per hour was recorded in the Belmullet weather station. The R313 Belmullet to Blacksod road was closed on Saturday morning with local diversions in place as waves crashed over the protective sea wall.
February was one of the wettest months in Mayo for a number of years with nearly three times the monthly average recorded falling at the Newport weather station. The monthly average rainfall for February in Newport is 126.5mm but last month 342.7mm was recorded to have fallen. There was a similar story in the other three weather stations in Mayo with 241.9mm recorded at Belmullet; 286.4mm at Claremorris and 277.4mm at Knock Airport.