Floods & Landslides Night Of Terror in Co. Mayo, Ireland 1997

Lucky escape for brothers during freak floods and landslides in Mayo.

The heavy rain and mudslides are believed to have caused over a million pounds worth of damage to homes, roads and bridges in County Mayo.

Peter McMenamin is in a state of shock and disbelief after his house and possessions were destroyed by floods.

A raging torrent of mud-laden water raced through his house last night destroying everything in its path.

At the height of last night’s storm, Peter McMenamin and his brother John had to flee from their home and almost lost their lives in the process. They were swept along by the water to a neighbour’s house. Peter McMenamin describes how they crawled along a wall to escape as the flood water rose. He spent two hours hanging on to a wall with water up to his chest. John McMenamin was swept away by the water but managed to reach safety through a window with the assistance of neighbour Patrick Healy.

Local people estimate that a million pounds worth of damage was done by the two hour downpour and landslide.

50 sheep and a still unaccounted number of cattle were drowned and potato and oat crops were washed away. Farmer James Ruddy says that all he has left is a few bales of silage.

Despite the losses, there was relief today that no lives were lost in the night of terror. Dr Tom Moffatt, Minister of State in the Department of Health, visited the scene of the floods and said that it is now up to Mayo County Council and the Department of the Environment to assist with repairing the damage.

An RTÉ News report broadcast on 13 July 1997. The reporter is Jim Fahy.