"This is a matter I have been pursuing with Minister Hayes, including upon his most recent visit to the Ballina area, two weeks ago. This is the first major allocation of money since the River Deel burst its banks and flooded the town centre in December 2006 and I am delighted with the announcement.
“It is over five years since the flooding of the morning of December 3rd 2006 devastated the centre of Crossmolina.
"Memories of damaged homes, businesses that were destroyed in the run up to Christmas and vehicles submerged in floodwater are still fresh and for those who were affected by that morning’s events, they have to live with the fear that a similar weather event could cause similar destruction.
“In announcing an allocation of €225 million nationally for capital flood relief measures over a 5-year period, with €62 million to be spent in 2012 alone, this government has shown its commitment to end the misery that flooding victims suffer as a result of events over which they have no control. This is great news for the people of Crossmolina and it provides them with much needed relief.
Remove flood risk
“Today’s announcement kick starts a process to establish and implement an engineering solution to remove the flood risk from the town as much as is humanly possible, once and for all. The OPW will begin immediately in 2012 to progress the planning and design of the scheme. The first stage of the process is to carry out a feasibility study.
"It is hoped that this will bring proposals for a scheme to public exhibition in quarter 3 of 2012. All options will be explored and costed. Once a suitable scheme is selected, tenders will be sought to bring the project to completion.
“Despite the current economic conditions, the government recognises the serious personal and economic impact of flooding. The total allocation of funds over the next 5 years is greater than that which was spent by the last government over the previous 10 years.
“The flooding of 2006 and the earlier flooding of 1989 brought a collective response from the community, the County Council and the Office of Public Works to rescue and salvage as much as possible and there was an extraordinary show of support for the victims.
"It is time to mitigate the risk of future floods and this government has given a significant commitment to this. I hope that the flood relief measures in Crossmolina are completed as swiftly as possible and I am glad to play my part in pursuing a solution," Deputy Mulherin added in a statement.
Follow us on Twitter
Join our Facebook page