This article is from page 43 of the 2014-02-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 43 JPG
A YOUNG Kilbaha couple were forced to flee their home with their six-month-old baby as their house was flooded by waves from the Atlantic.
The West Clare village was once again engulfed by a storm and high tides, just weeks after a similar force of nature did € 3.4 million worth of damage.
Two houses and two homes were flooded in the village at the weekend, in a storm described as “more dramatic” than the previous one.
This time homes did not escape the flooding, with the water reaching above the bay window in one house.
Two days later and the local people are still suffering as a consequence of the weather.
Local woman Ailish Connolly explained that it will take sometime for things to return to normal.
Roads remain impassable and concerns have been expressed that emergency vehicles would have difficulty reaching the communities of Kilbaha, Ross and Fodra.
Water continues to run off the land into Fodra Bay, which in turn is flooding the local roads.
“Kilbaha is effectively an island. The only way to get through the village is with a four by four,” said Ms Connolly.
“The Ross road is out and even worse than before.”
Even the work carried out by Clare County Council during the last storm has been washed away.
This interim work included backs of rocks and interlocking concrete boulders.
While the playground survived the worst of the storm this time, the memorial to the Five Pilots was completely destroyed.
“There is so much more damage done this time. The last time it was directed at one area but now it is spaced out,” she said.