Posted online: Aug 15th, 2008

By Donna Deeney
donna@letterkennypost.com
Flash flooding wreaked havoc in Letterkenny on Tuesday affecting not only domestic homes but also several local businesses which had to close for a period of time.
The areas worse affected included Ballymacool Row where only the quick thinking of one resident, Hanna Mullan averted disaster.
Hanna contacted the Council as soon as she saw the water level begin to rise and by doing so, her home remain free from any damage.
Speaking to the Letterkeny Post she said: “The men came here very fast and worked very hard indeed. I got the sandbags at the front of the house and I will keep them there for a while yet.
“I am well used to this now, this used to happen a lot although this is the worst it has been in about three years.
“I just prayed and prayed as hard as I could that the rain would go.”
Cllr Damien Blake foresees this as a continuing problem for Letterkenny if something isn’t done to address it in the near future.
He said: “These events come as no surprise. The flooding has been caused by the changing rain patterns, which now see more and more rain dropped in short bursts which then overloads drainage systems and the natural capacity of the town to absorb the rain. Developments in the last decade mean that more rain is landing on tarmac than ever before, with the results we’ve seen.”
“I’ve been raising this issue for over a year now. Last September, I won unanimous support from the council to look at the newest technologies – sustainable urban drainage systems – with a view to installing holding tanks around the town which would allow the water to be released slowly. Through the planning system, multiple housing developments must now take into account the impact they will have on rainfall. We cannot allow incidents like Tuesday to be repeated in the future, particularly if rainfall continues to get heavier.”
“Flooding will only become a bigger issue in the future. Some may think most of Letterkenny is immune because it sits on higher ground, but these events show that attitude is false. Our priority is not necessarily the River Swilly breaching it’s banks, but the impact of bursts of rain. We’ve taken some steps in the council, but there is much more to do. This is being done both through our own investment, and changes to the new Development Plan.”