Imagine this is your house:

Or this was the view from your front hallway:

I’ve been listening to the radio on and off all week hearing reports of continued bad weather, the entire Shannon being in a state of flood, bridges and roads being closed, towns, villages and cities all but shutting down completely. I’ve had more calls from my dad in Clare this week than I’ve had all month he’s so shocked at the state of things around him in the west.

It’s almost impossible to get your head around the damage that’s been done since this time last week. Listening to victims during the week talk about how they have had to split their families up and divide children between relations, to others talk about the stench of waste, rotting food and sewage in homes and streets, to people searching somewhere to rent to simply have a roof over their heads was really shocking.

What shocks me further is the apparent lack of support for these hundreds of people. The government have pledged an initial €10m fund (subject to means testing). Some say it’s not nearly enough, some say they can’t wait for means testing.

I remember the fantastic fund-raising that was done all around the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a few years ago. Why hasn’t there been the same response to our own neighbours? Is it the recession? Is it a case of ‘out of sight out of mind’? Or do people just not realise how bad it is in areas like Ballinasloe, Claregalway and towns along the Shannon?

Let’s help them out!

Newstalk have set up a flood victims fund account with AIB. If you go into any AIB branch you should be able to make a donation to the account which has the sort code 93.10.12.

Saint Vincent de Paul and the Irish Red Cross are also accepting donations, be they financial or materials like clothes, bed linen etc.

If anyone else knows of ways we can support those affected, leave a comment or drop me an email and I’ll list it on a new page.

There’s only 4 weeks until Xmas eve – at the very least, let’s try and give the families some comfort for the holidays or some hope for the time ahead – things are in a dark enough state as it is.