'I just don’t have a few hundred to spend': Cork bakery floods for the second time
Rebecca Picture: And After Had Bakery Of The House Babet Co Bakery Noel In The Storm Flooded Wire Bert Flooded Cork, Bakery Riverstick, Sweeney/pa Again The Mullen, That Flour Said Last October, Storm
The Flour House bakery in Riverstick flooded again this morning during the downpour brought on by Storm Bert, having been badly damaged by Storm Babet in 2023.
Bakery owner Rebecca Mullen said about two inches of water entered her premises after the nearby River Stick flowed over its barrier walls.
This morning’s flooding means Ms Mullen will now “take a long hard look” at the business she has run in the village near Kinsale for the past two-and-a-half years.
“The damage may only run into hundreds rather than thousands because I did, with the help of customers and residents, manage to get a lot of things off the ground,” she said.
“So, I am hoping it is more of a clean-up than anything else, but I just don’t have a few hundred to spend.
“Everything is cut to the bone these days, and things like this make things even more difficult than they already are for small businesses like us.”
She said it is hard to assess the true cost of the damage done, but she is very grateful to the Cork County Fire Brigade for helping pump water away from the premises.
When the river floods, it sends water into her premises through walls at the front, and drains overflow into her back door from a drain at the rear of the property where she is based.
It took just an hour for her bakery, which employs four full time and four part time staff, to be flooded.
“We did as much as we could to prepare but we just didn’t expect the river to breach the walls,” she said.
“It was at such a low level earlier, much lower than it was before Storm Babet struck.
“So, although we did take precautions by doing things like taking fridges and ovens off the floor, and keeping them at a raised level, we just didn’t expect the damage we got.”
The business received grants from the Red Cross to help them through the last flood where a lot of damage was done.
"Without those grants we really wouldn't have a business today, it's just really important that small businesses survive weather systems."
"Saturday is one of our busiest days, we've already had to cancel a market because of the weather system, so now we've obviously had to shut the shop today, so we'll be losing money there.
"I've done deliveries of cakes today where I can to the people who have ordered, but now it's the clean up, its the cost of getting the staff back in, extra hours, working out what is salvageable and what isn't."
She said small businesses are already struggling because of rising costs such as the 13.5% VAT rate and staff pay.
"Every day counts. You can't miss a day's trade. I think that's what's going to really hurt us. Every single piece of coinage is required to get us through."
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.