A Donegal woman whose home was devastated by Storm Lorenzo floods says she can’t bear to think about what tomorrow will bring.
Sheena Culloo at Clarendon Drive in Donegal Town had a panicked awakening at 6am on Friday morning when floodwaters rushed into her home.
“The water was coming in fast, back and front,” she said. “It reached up to two inches by the time it stopped.”
As fire services came to assist locals, the rush was on for Sheena to move her furniture upstairs and save pieces from irreparable damage.
Sheena’s son (21) who has cerebral palsy, has an adapted bedroom and wetroom downstairs. As the floods came in, Sheena had to bring his bedding, furniture and computer upstairs also.
“My son asked his friends to help and they landed in force. They did a great job and only for them and the amount of helping hands we had we were able to get the important things moved,” Sheena said.
“It’s total devastation. Everything is a mess,” she said.
Sheena Culloo outside her Clarendon Drive home in Donegal town. (North West Newspix)
This is not the first time that homes at Clarendon Row were flooded. Three years ago this area, which lies beside the River Eske, was flooded and hit on several occasions since.
“It’s so disheartening to see everything in your house touched by water,” Sheena said.
“It’s very hard to think about tomorrow or the next day. When the tide returns tonight or another storm comes what are we going to do?
“We have young families, pensioners and people living on their own here.”
Sheena said that her house has not been affected as badly this morning as it has on other years. But since the first floods, she has been unable to get insurance.
“All the damage will have to come out of our own pockets,” she said.
The water had subsided by midday Friday, but Sheena said that the worry will be constant for any future storms this winter.
“The water is away but the river is still flooded and the tide is high. It’s not a nice feeling wondering will it happen again.”
The Government has issued a notice to the public that the Urgent Needs Payments may be available to help with the immediate costs of assistance after an emergency such as flooding. More information is available at: http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Urgent-Needs-Payments.aspx
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