‘The level of support and kindness I have received has given me hope’

Almost €15,000 has been raised for a mother and her three children who had to leave their home due to flooding at Lough Funshinagh.

Ellie Mc Laughlin and her three children had to leave their home in Carrick, Curraghboy in recent days. A Go Fund Me page was set up by Ellie’s brother Barry and thousands of euro has already been donated.

Speaking to the Herald, Ellie said she was overwhelmed by people’s generosity.

“I am much better than I was a week ago, I can sleep again, I don’t feel as scared. To say I am blown away is the understatement of the century,” she said. “I was so nervous when my brother mentioned it to me, but he said so many people want to help and that people were suggesting a fundraising page. The level of support and kindness I have received has given me hope. Family, friends, and people all over the world have contributed to help me and the kids rebuild our home. There have been donations from Poland, America, Canada, and South Africa. Friends in Australia have also contributed. It has put a smile back on my face when I didn’t think I was going to smile for a long time. ” Ellie thanked everyone for all the help, support, words of encouragement and kindness that they have showed her and the children “while we try and recover from this awful crisis where we lost our home”.

“I am eternally grateful to everyone,” she said. “It has also been really reassuring to the kids too. They are saying ‘Where do we live? We want to go home, we’re really sad, what’s going to happen?’. I didn’t know how I was going to reassure them, but now I can, because there is hope. We are getting so much help and support that I know we are going to be okay.” She explained that both she and her father, Gerry, went down to the house on Saturday to see if they could retrieve anything.

“I had to leave so much behind because we left in such a rush. I had wellies on and dad had waders on. I couldn’t get anywhere near the house, but dad went up with the waders on and the water was up to his waist,” she said. “There is no way anyone is getting up to the house without a canoe at this stage.” She said that there could be five feet of water in the fields around her house, “and if the water comes over the wall, my house is gone”.

“The council staff are brilliant and doing everything they can but it is a battle. They have a new pump and it is keeping the water outside the wall. Hopefully it will keep the house from being further damaged.” Ellie and her children had been staying in a hotel but are now living with friends and family.

“We are living on the go, but all things considered, we’re doing okay,” she said, and she was hopeful they would find a house to rent.

“Just somewhere that might feel a bit more like home while this is unfolding. It could be six months before we can assess the damage.” She said that the house’s floors and walls have been damaged by water, “but the council is fighting it as well as they can”.

She called on the Government to act to help her and her neighbours. To donate, please visit the ‘Help Ellie and her 3 kids after devastating flood’ Go Fund Me Page.

Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane has urged the Taoiseach to act now for people at Lough Funshinagh "The situation at Lough Funshinagh is worsening hour by hour with water continually rising and the rain keeps coming,” she said in the Dáil last week.

"As I stand here today a fifth home is now likely to be evacuated. Water is now rapidly flowing towards Curraghboy village extending this crisis even further. An overflow pipe, as a temporary and emergency measure, is 60% completed and stalled.” Responding to Deputy Kerrane, the Taoiseach advised that he intended to visit the area and that he had asked the attorney general to prioiritise advice on taking emergency action.

Fianna Fáil Senator Eugene Murphy said that the intervention of the Tanàiste’s Office last week could be crucial to a solution being found.

“The Tanàiste is hoping to visit residents in the coming weeks but made it clear to me that there was not much point in another politician looking into a flood without something concrete regarding a solution,” he said.

Senator Murphy also welcomed the visit of OPW Minister Kieran O'Donnell and welcomed his sincerity and honesty on the matter.

“I truly hope we can find emergency legislation to allow the removal of water from the turlough.”