Families are forced from homes as floods hit

Torrential rainfall on Monday led to the Drumconrath river breaking its banks and flooding five local homes and the community centre, in what was a terrifying night for local residents. A wheelchair-user had to be carried from his flooded home to safety as water levels in the local river rose by over eight feet and surged into nearby houses after the day-long deluge led to flooding problems in several areas of Meath. Local families in Drumconrath were counting the cost yesterday (Tuesday), with some of the homes virtually uninhabitable, while vast tracts of farmland lay totally submerged in water and road conditions remained precarious. The local community were rallying round to help their stricken neighbours, whose homes had been destroyed. For the Lamont family, who live in the village close to the river, Monday night was one of the most terrifying of their lives. As water gushed into their home, they had to evacuate their wheelchair-bound father, John, from their specially adapted home. "It took four men to carry him well down the road away from the water," said his daughter, Leah. "The water was up to the window at that stage. It was a terrifying experience. I was hysterical and Daddy was very upset because he was helpless," she said. She said it was one of the most frightening nights of her life and their home was now destroyed. "Daddy was taken to my aunt's house in Kingscourt; my brother, Sam, and I are staying in the two upstairs rooms, but the smell is unreal," Leah added. She said they want to stay there to mind the house and said they need to get it back into a habitable condition as soon as possible because of her father. "Daddy has MS and the house has been adapted to accommodate him, so he needs to move back in as soon as possible, but it is in a terrible state. The kichen is destroyed "We tried to save most of his equipment, including a hoist, but everything was happening very quickly," she said. The ordeal began for the Lamont family and their neighbours at around 4pm on Monday when they realised the water level in the river was rising. "My brother and I were out trying to unblock manholes and the fire brigade were there helping," she said. "When the whole thing was cleared, the fire brigade left, but the water starting rising again and, by 7.30pm, the village was blocked off and the house started to flood. "We were putting up sandbags and brushing out the water but we couldn't stop it and the water gushed in. There was up to eight inches of water and everything was destroyed," she recalled. "We had to get Daddy out, but the water was very high outside and he had to be carried a good bit down the road." She said the fire service came back at around 10pm and pumped the water out of the house into a nearby field. Her neighbour, Martina Sampson said it had been a very frightening night. "It wasn't as bad for me as it was for my neighbours as I am on a slight hill, but it was frightening just the same," she said. She had also been out earlier in the day trying to unblock drains but was in her house at round 7.30pm when the water starting coming in "I was brushing it out and it came in along the floor. It wasn't as bad as in some houses, but I was afraid it would get higher," she said. "It started to go down just before midnight." In all, five houses were flooded in the village and the nearby community centre also fell victim to the waters. The local parish priest, Fr Finian Connaughton, said they managed to get into the centre at around 10pm to sweep out the water and he hoped the damage wouldn't be too extensive. He said he had driven through the village at around 7.30pm and had been able to drive through some floodwater, but within the space of about 20 minutes, it had risen to about three feet and the road was impassable. He expressed concern for his neighbours whose homes were flooded and said he never saw such extensive flooding in the village. "Neighbours have been very good, coming with pumps, mops and brushes. The community has been rallying round offering practical help. Some of the farmers were out with tractors and pumps helping," he said. Cllr Anne Dillon Gallagher, who lives nearby, said it was a terrible shock for the local community and tragic for the families affected. "We never saw anything like it before. There was such a huge volume of water in such a short space of time," she said. A spokesperson for Meath County Council said the torrential overnight rain resulted in five private houses being flooded in Drumconrath and the fire service had been working there through the night. Council staff and fire crews had also worked through Monday night, pumping water at the Northlands estate at Bettystown where heavy rain and high tides threatened several houses. She said most roads in the county were passable with caution during Monday's deluge. Fire crews and council staff were mobilised around the county to combat any difficulties being experienced by residents. Flooding had closed a number of roads in east Meath, where high tides exacerbated the problems. Among those closed were the Duleek to Julianstown Road, the Boyne Road, the Canal Road at Oldbridge.