Richmond Road flooded when the banks of the Tolka river burst

As people in the west of Ireland this week wade through their flooded homes and hinterland, their plight is keenly felt on Dublin's northside, where memories of the River Tolka bursting its banks in November 2002 are still vivid for local residents.


Tom Cullen remembers how he sat and cried on his stairs in the early hours of the morning as the flood water rose in his Drumcondra home. "It was very frightening and to be honest I thought it was the end of everything for us."


Tom and his house-bound wife were 72 at the time and unable to move any furniture or valuables upstairs. Tom had only been released from the Mater hospital the day before and didn't have the strength. Instead, they had to allow the flood water take control of the house and contaminate their belongings. "I think it was 2am when things got very bad. The water came in suddenly from the back and the front. I had the back door stuffed with blankets but the water actually washed them over to the other side of the kitchen and turned the fridge upside down," explains Tom.


At 7am the following morning Tom's neighbour on Richmond Road, Barney Brack, called to the house and to let them know that the army were on their way. Other elderly residents on the street were carried into the Cullen house, which had become the collection point.


"We were all on the stairs and the army carried us out. My wife was delighted. It was the first time she was in a soldier's arms. There was a tiny bit of humour. It got us through," says Tom.


The Cullens were out of their house for five months and were lucky enough to be able to live in an apartment nearby that was owned by their son. Tom says he couldn't go through it again and the current flooding brings it all back. "We know what they are going through and I feel very, very sorry for them. It's heartbreaking."


Barney Brack had a difficult job in persuading some of the elderly to leave their houses that were flooded by up to four feet of water. "Some of the elderly residents had this notion that they weren't leaving their homes and that everything would be alright if they stayed. I had to reassure them and explain that they couldn't stay because they had no electricity and no gas. Plus they couldn't even get out to buy food."


Once the elderly had been moved to safety, Barney and other volunteers set about calling their family members to come and collect them. Barney's own house was badly damaged in the flood. He and his family lived in the attic conversion for the duration of the repair work, which was extensive and wasn't completed until the following May.


"Anything that had been touched by the water had to go. Even things of sentimental value because the water had raw sewage in it so we couldn't risk the germs and disease. We also lost things like birth certs and passports that were stuffed in a box and forgotten about."


For the Drumcondra residents who had insurance, getting compensation wasn't a problem in the aftermath of the flood. However getting flood cover renewed was almost impossible, so Barney and local residents formed a committee called the TRRA (Tolka River Residents Alliance). "We started banging on doors, lobbying local politicians, local government, the Office of Public Works and the insurance companies. We hounded them for two years because they wouldn't give flood cover or the premiums were far too high" says Barney. The TRRA succeeded in getting flood cover renewed based on the flood relief work planned for the Tolka River. The flood area was in Bertie Ahern's constituency and his influence certainly helped in getting funding for the Tolka flood-prevention scheme, which has since prevented any subsequent flooding. Some of the residents in the area, however, didn't have insurance and a flood-relief fund had to be administered by the Red Cross.


Gerry Scully, a resident of Clonturk Park in Drumcondra, was one of the lucky ones who had sufficient insurance to pay for the clean-up job in his family home. But the initial work got off to a slow start. "We couldn't get our hands on a de-humidifier, there was such demand for them. We had to get one from the UK. And everywhere nearby ran out of disinfectant. It was madness."


For many residents it wasn't just the loss of material possessions that devastated them. "One neighbour had chickens and hens that all died in the flood. Another neighbour had lovely little red setters but he lost a couple of them. Luckily we got our animals in and brought them upstairs in time," says Gerry. He also recalls elderly neighbours who never came back after the flood. "A lot of older people were badly affected by that night. Everything changed for them. They were never the same again. That was probably the worst thing," he says.


However, the 2002 flood had some unexpected upsides in terms of the community in Drumcondra. "I met every single neighbour. We were constantly going to meetings for the TRRA. We had flood parties when houses were being done up to and we had a street party the year after. It really helped everyone keep going." explains Gerry.


But he also acknowledges that getting back to normal after a flood is dependent on how quickly the water subsides, which seems to be a long way off for many properties in the west. "We were lucky the flood peaked on the Thursday night and the water was gone by Saturday but unfortunately there's no sign of the water going down for the people suffering at the moment."


So what does he think needs to be done to help relieve the misery in flooded areas of the country? "These people need immediate flood relief. They need confidence, reassurance and people to tell them what's going to happen. But they will get through it. That's the most important thing to remember. And their community will be stronger than ever," says Gerry.