Storm Debi victims in Co Galway face fourth winter waiting for flood protection

Home and business owners whose properties were damaged during Storm Debi in 2023 are facing a fourth winter without permanent flood protection.

Published 30th Jul 2026, 15:50 BST A section of the inside of the Londis Supermarket in Clarinbridge which was flooded during Storm Debi . | Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy. Home and business owners whose properties were damaged during Storm Debi in 2023 are facing a fourth winter without permanent flood protection. Sign up to our Connacht Tribune Today daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Connacht Tribune within your account.

At this month’s Athenry Municipal District meeting, council officials acknowledged they could only "hope we don't get another Debi" before remedial works are put in place.

Councillors heard that a study into the storm damage along the coastline from Oranmore to Kinvara is expected to be completed within six months.

A decision on the next stage of the project is then expected to take a further nine months to a year.

Council officials said 83 premises were affected during what was described as a one-in-100-year storm event, with properties along the Oranmore-Kinvara coastline suffering significant coastal flooding.

Galway study warns coastal communities need relocation strategy Athenry Cllr Peter Feeney (FG) warned that affected residents could ultimately wait "a lot more than five years" before permanent flood protection is in place.

Oranmore Cllr Cillian Keane (FF) said residents continue to live with uncertainty every time severe weather is forecast.

In particular, he highlighted the locally known 'Kelly Blocks' on Oranmore's Coast Road as an area where residents remain particularly concerned.

"Every time there is a weather warning, they are holding their breath, hoping it won't happen again," he said.

"I fully appreciate when people hear there is a storm that they become fearful," they said.

"Those houses hit in Oranmore during Storm Debi were never hit before. There is nothing I can do to allay those fears other than to hope we don't get another Debi before measures are put in place."

Galway coastal flooding risk among highest in Ireland, new study warns Storm Debi caused widespread coastal flooding across south Galway in November 2023, affecting Oranmore, Clarinbridge and Kinvara.

In Oranmore, surging tides and strong winds damaged homes and businesses and tore through a 100- metre section of the seawall on the Coast Road.

In Clarinbridge, a number of businesses, including a pharmacy, hairdresser, coffee shop and garden centre, were forced to close while owners assessed the damage and cleared seawater from their premises.

In response, the Office of Public Works approved €108,000 in funding in 2024 for a detailed study of the coastline between Oranmore and Kinvara, with Galway County Council appointing consultants in September that year.

The study is intended to identify the most appropriate flood protection measures for homes and businesses at risk before any permanent works are approved.

Officials said the study will examine what measures allowed some businesses in Kinvara to reopen just three days after Storm Debi and whether those approaches could be replicated elsewhere.

The study will recommend the most appropriate protection for each affected property, ranging from larger community flood defence schemes, such as flood walls, to individual property protection measures including flood gates and non-return sewer valves.

It would be like putting a Mercedes Benz of a wall when you are surrounded by Kias.

Councillors also heard Galway County Council is exploring the possibility of a grant scheme that would allow homeowners to appoint their own contractors to carry out approved flood protection works, similar to a scheme already operating in Cork.

This week's meeting heard that the affected properties have now been divided into different categories based on the type of protection likely to be required.

Councillors heard that potential protection measures vary depending on the location.

In Oranmore village, a flood wall near the Tesco roundabout is being examined as a possible way of protecting a number of homes.

Consultants have also assessed flood protection options for the Kelly Blocks on the Coast Road.

Officials said a reinforced concrete wall measuring approximately 1.5 metres in height has been suggested at an estimated cost of €150,000.

However, because the proposed wall would be substantially higher than adjoining sections and is located beside the Galway Bay Special Area of Conservation, officials indicated it is unlikely to proceed in its current form.

"We have other stretches of the wall that are a lot lower," officials explained.

"It would be like putting a Mercedes Benz of a wall when you are surrounded by Kias."

Officials also confirmed that while individual property protection measures are unlikely to require environmental assessment, proposed flood relief works at Clarenbridge Business Park would represent "a substantial piece of work."