Bettystown flood event will provide 'vital and necessary data' in designing further flood defence measures - OPW

The Office of Public Works has said that the flood events of last weekend, that destroyed over 30 houses in the Village Esate will provide vital and necessary data in terms of designing a further flood scheme for Mornington/Bettystown

The OPW and Meath Co Council along with engineering consultants RPS have said they are collaborating on managing flood risk in the Bettystown/Mornington area after high tide coupled with torrential rain fall engulfed the small community and 20-year-old estate last Saturday morning.

"The OPW are reviewing the short-term measures that can be taken to manage the flood risk in the Bettystown/Mornington area, and in the longer term, the design for an augmented flood relief scheme as part of the Government’s €1.3bn for flood relief measures under the National Development Plan," said an OPW spokesperson.

"Delivering flood relief schemes is complex and requires having detailed knowledge of the sources of flooding and their impact. While the impact of flooding on individuals and communities is devastating, in terms of designing a further flood scheme for Mornington, the flood events of last weekend, during a period of extreme summer rainfall together with high spring tide, now provide vital and necessary data and information that needs to be taken into consideration.

"A meeting was held on 9th August 2023 between Jim Casey, Head of Flood Risk Management and senior management in the OPW, Fiona Lawless Chief Executive and senior management in Meath County Council and engineering consultants RPS. At that meeting, the OPW asked the consultants to investigate both the cause and magnitude of the flooding event from 5th to 8th August 2023.

"This will both inform any appropriate short term measures that can be taken to manage the flood risk in this area and in the longer term the design for an augmented flood relief scheme. Work on this is starting immediately. This includes survey works to better understand the flooding mechanism, impact and extent over the past weekend."

The OPW statement also provided some background to the existing flood defence systems in place in the locality.

"In 2012, the Office of Public Works (OPW) completed the Mornington Flood Relief Scheme, comprising of flood defence walls and embankments along the Mornington Stream and a pumping station at Lady’s Finger Bridge. The scheme, costing circa €5m, provides protection from significant flood events for 162 properties. The scheme is maintained annually by the OPW.

"In 2018, the Flood Risk Management Plans were the output from the OPW’s Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management (CFRAM) Programme. This is the largest study of flood risk ever undertaken by the State. It assessed the flood risk for some 300 communities that are home to two thirds of the population. The CFRAM Programme built on schemes that were completed at that time and included Mornington, as one of the communities assessed."

That CFRAM Programme included public consultation in 2015 on the flood maps and in Spring 2016 consultation on options for a further scheme in Mornington to augment the 2012 completed scheme.

Residents of the Village Estate affected by last weekend's flooding said they had voiced their concerns at this consultation meeting that their houses were at serious risk of flooding and had urged the OPW to proceed with adding protection around their estate.

According to the OPW, the 2018 Flood Risk Management Plans identified a scheme to augment the completed scheme at Mornington including further hard defences and embankments.

"Progressing this scheme requires local level assessment and planning. The proposed measure will deliver several key flood protection benefits; reducing risk to numerous local properties, transport links, utilities, agricultural land and social infrastructure/amenity sites in the medium and long term.

"Since the launch of the Flood Plans the OPW and Meath County Council has been engaging on progressing this flood scheme in Mornington as well as work on flood relief schemes across the county in Ashbourne and the Northlands Estate."

The question residents will have this week as the clean up operation continues is why no tangible action was taken since that 2016 consultation process.

Meanwhile, yesterday (Wednesday, 9th August) it was confirmed that humanitarian aid would be made available to support those affected by the severe flooding.

The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, confirmed the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme is available to support to those living in properties directly affected by the recent flooding in the Village Estate.

The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme prevents hardship by providing income-tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged from flooding and severe weather events and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and structural repair. A fund of €10 million is in place for this purpose.

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The Minister acknowledged that while a small number of people had been affected, it was important that the support was made available to assist them.

Minister Humphreys said: “The recent flooding has caused some damage and disruption to those living in parts of County Meath, including in the Bettystown area. My department is liaising on the ground with the people affected to make sure they have access to the help that they need.”

In dealing with emergency events the department generally adopts a three-stage approach as follows:

Stage 1 provides emergency income support payments (food/clothing/personal items) in the immediate aftermath of the event.

Stage 2 involves the replacement of white goods, basic furniture items and other essential household items

Stage 3 is to identify what longer term financial support is required, including plastering, dry-lining, relaying of floors, electrical re-wiring and painting

Levels of payment under the scheme depend on the relative severity of damage experienced and the household’s ability to meet these costs, ensuring that the funding is appropriately targeted.

The means assessment for Humanitarian Assistance is more generous than that applied under means tested Social Welfare payments in general. The basic principle of the income test is that individuals and families with average levels of income will qualify for assistance, including non-Social Welfare recipients.

The scheme does not cover risks that are covered by insurance policies or cover business or commercial losses.

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If necessary, the Community Welfare Service can also provide support for other essential needs, for example, Additional Needs Payments may be made to assist with essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.

The Community Welfare Service can be contacted using the national telephone line: 0818 60 70 80.