The young couple behind Curraghmore farm are calling on the government and Kerry County Council to provide urgent aid and infrastructure upgrades to the Black Valley in Beaufort, Co. Kerry, which was left devastated by the floods generated by storm Bert over the weekend.
JJ Sullivan and his girlfriend, Sandra Spethmann, run JJ’s 1200ac mixed family farm under Carrauntoohil mountain, one of the many farms and residences in the area left reeling from the devastating storm floods, which destroyed large swathes of farmland.
The increase in rainfall coupled with the rise in temperatures which led to the rapid run off from the snow covered mountain, proved to be a “dangerous combination”, Spethmann argued, exacerbating the storm’s impacts and floods as a result.
The floods and unexpected rise in temperatures took the couple by complete surprise, as Kerry had only been awarded an orange weather warning status by Met Eireann in the late afternoon on Friday, November 22.
“No, we didn’t expect the floods. It was actually forecasted that we would still have minus temperatures during the weekend but the snow actually started melting fairly early on Friday evening.
“By the time storm Bert broke, there were literally waterfalls behind the houses. Mother Nature is a beast.” Spethmann said, recounting the biblical like scenes that enfolded on Friday and Saturday (November 22 and 23).
Access to the property was restricted up until yesterday, as the floods destroyed parts of the road, washing away entire chunks of tarmac.
Thankfully, the family have a digger, and were able to make some temporary repairs to the roadway yesterday, reopening access. However, because the road is on private property, the repairs were made out of their own pocket.
The family’s flock of 600 sheep, which had been grazing on Carrauntoohil when storm Bert struck, also currently remain unaccounted for, as the floods have prevented the couple from accessing the mountain to gather and take stock.
Spethmann fears, more than a few casualties will be identified by the time they eventually regain access to the mountain and the flock.
Floods
Apart from the laundry room which suffered partial flood damage, the couple’s home remained relatively unscathed, but the same cannot be said for their rental cottage which completely succumbed to flooding overnight on Friday.
“There was six inches of water coming through its walls because the drainage, streams and rivers simply couldn’t take the amount of water that came down from the mountain,” Spethmann said.
The couple had completely renovated the derelict cottage a few years previously to rent out on Airbnb, but they have since had to cancel all remaining bookings up until the new year as they focus on the clean-up operation.
They purchased an industrial humidifier and water vacuum to start with, removing all the water logged cottage furniture in the process, however, it will likely be some time before they will be able to accurately assess the full extent of the damage, Spethmann surmised.
When asked about insurance, Spethmann told Agriland that while they have yet to speak with their insurance provider to gauge the extent of their policy cover, she does not hold much hope that discussions will be fruitful, as she fears the act of god clause will be deployed.
Instead, she is hoping local county council will intervene to upgrade infrastructure in the valley to reduce further flood risk in the future.
“We really hope that the government and council see the urgency now to provide adequate aid and infrastructure, as roads and drainage in the Black Valley needs maintenance and updating,” she said.
Spethmann’s sister has also taken the initiative to set up a fundraising page in the family’s name on gofundme.com, to help raise crucial funds for the reparations.
They are also expecting to do most of the heavy-lifting by themselves, as they have found it difficult in the past to locate contractors willing to brave the narrow meandering roads leading to their rural property, which is located approximately an hour from Killarney and Kenmare.
“When you call like a plumber or builder, originally they say, ‘yeah, fine, we will come’ but then we send the eircode and we never hear back from them again,” she continued.
Despite the hardship endured over the weekend, Spethmann’s positive outlook and resilient nature was undeniable throughout her conversation with Agriland.
“I had a handyman here on Sunday. He’s Ukrainian. He lost his home and he told me: ‘Sandra, it’s just a bit of flooding’, and I said bless you, you’re completely right. He gave me some perspective,” she said.