Parts of the south and west still on high alert as more rain and high winds sweep across Ireland.
The Minister for the Environment John Gormley has been visiting the worst affected areas in Cork to see at first hand the devastation caused by the flooding.
In Bandon a big clean-up operation is underway. The town has had torrential rain for the past three days. The minister was accompanied by Cork county manager Martin Riordan to see the damage in the town and speak with local shopkeepers and residents about the experience they have endured. The minister is on a fact-finding tour of the towns affected by flooding and will head to the west of Ireland later. He will then report back to the government emergency task force.
The tales were of cleanups, of insurance hikes and worries about the future.
Many local business owners are concerned that they will not be able to get insurance in the future.
Bandon is just one of the many towns in the south and west of Ireland hit by flooding and the concerns raised here apply elsewhere. John Gormley defends the emergency response and says,
You can't legislate for acts of God.
Boil water notices are also in place in some areas across County Cork as a result of concerns over water contamination. Martin Riordan says that the boil water notice is a precaution rather than a threat.
In Cork city, 18,000 households remain without water and emergency supplies have been brought in. The ESB has reported increased water levels at Inniscarra dam following continued heavy rain overnight but has no plans to increase the current levels of discharge over the next few hours.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 21 November 2009. The reporter is Jennie O Sullivan.
