REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT COMMUNITY CENTRE, GORT, CO. GALWAY TUESDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2009
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT COMMUNITY CENTRE, GORT, CO. GALWAY TUESDAY 22ND DECEMBER 2009
Dia dhíbh a chairde. It is good to be here with you in Gort today, though I’m sorry it is in such circumstances. I would particularly like to thank Martina Moloney, County Manager and Paddy Grealish, President of Gort Chamber of Commerce for their warm welcome here today. I have come here today to express my solidarity with those of you whose homes, farms and businesses were damaged in the flooding and to thank all those involved in the crisis management and recovery efforts.
Gort and the surrounding areas were badly hit by the flooding. It was a frightening, disorienting experience to see familiar streets and fields turn into rivers and lakes. I was touched by the interviews with families, business people and farmers from this area as they described their traumatising experiences and the damage that they had suffered. Among the most striking images of the flooding in the West of Ireland was the footage of Kiltartan Church under several feet of water and the images of livestock marooned on high land or farmyards that had been cut off by the rising water. And accompanying these images, there were countless stories of the remarkable response of the local community and official bodies. I would like to thank the County Council, the Gardaí, the Health and Safety Authority, the Army, the Air Corps, the Fire Services and the Civil Defence for their coordinated response that included road closures, sandbag defences, pumping, public health information and access to cut-off areas. Alongside these official agencies, I would also like to thank the countless volunteers who came forward to help in so many different ways. The Irish Farmers’ Association deserves special mention for its coordination of emergency fodder for livestock and the help given to enable farmers to rescue animals from marooned areas. A number of other voluntary and community organisations came forward to provide assistance in whatever way they could and all around Gort and the surrounding area, neighbours, friends and relatives came to the aid of the most vulnerable.
Although the waters are now subsiding and the crisis phase has thankfully passed, the much longer phase of recovery and clean-up is still underway. I know that for those whose homes, businesses and farms were affected, this is a difficult time as their patience and strength is called on once again. I am glad to see today that the same energy and enthusiasm which filled the sandbags and manned the pumps is now being redirected into the less high-profile but equally vital clean-up operation. I would like to thank all those involved in this ongoing effort and I wish them the very best for a speedy conclusion to their work.
While this experience has been a very difficult one for the people of Gort, we can draw from it the wonderfully positive sense of community and generosity which has characterised the response since the first day of the flooding. I reiterate my thanks to everyone involved in the emergency and clean-up operations, whether in an official or voluntary capacity. I wish you all a very peaceful Christmas and I hope that normality can be restored as early as possible in the New Year. Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.