The most important thing now is to get funding to those who need it

The dust has settled after a tornado hit Leitrim Village on December 10 but for several residents and businesspeople, the hardship is still very much real as they pick up the pieces.
Councillors gave their views following the incident with many stating that the most important thing now is to get funding to those who need it as soon as possible.
Cllr Sean McGowan said that all the councillors expressed their shock at the incident at the latest Carrick-on-Shannon district meeting and “our thoughts are with the people of the village after what was a very shocking event, albeit only 20 or 30 seconds - it's a terror what can happen when Mother Nature hits.
“Thankfully, as was said by everyone, no one was seriously hurt; there were some minor injuries but nothing major and that's the most important thing.”
He added, “The emergency services were complimented by everyone for their magnificent reaction; there was the fire service, the guards, the county council and the ESB were all there as well as the civil defence; there was a great response from the emergency services.”
Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire came to view the damage and said her first thought was “thank God no one was injured” adding “but now, of course, people are querying their insurance and their cover and we can see in the video where the roofs of the back of houses were destroyed.”
Cllr Armstrong-McGuire said the councillors will “continue to work with the people and find out all we can about insurance,”
“I do understand that we couldn't pre-empt something like this but we do call on the national government when something as major as this occurs.
“It's a massive blow to the village. It is a thriving place where a lot of people have bought new businesses and I'm sure were working with mortgages and they will need support.”
She said that structural engineers have been appointed by the council and “they are looking at the situation.”
She added that “there wasn't a stone left unturned by the voluntary services.”
Cllr Felim Gurn said that all the members at the Manorhamilton municipal district were “in shock with what happened in Leitrim Village and we're lucky that we are not talking about fatalities and that everyone got out safe.”
He added that it is a “shock that a tornado has hit Leitrim Village and I want to thank the first responders - the firemen, the council staff, the road engineers, the ambulance crews, the Guards for their help in safeguarding the area.
“We hope the financial help that the businesses and residents affected need, comes to them fairly fast.”
Cllr Mary Bohan said she received a call from someone in Leitrim who was “very shocked and shaken” after the tornado hit, adding that “we are very proud of how the emergency services responded.”
She said, “I know that Minister Anne Rabbitte and TD Dara Calleary visited Leitrim as well as the Taoiseach so it's a matter now of trying to give people assistance and emergency funding will be needed so hopefully the department and the Red Cross and all the other agencies who need to get involved will get involved. There is the whole question of insurance and how that will pan out for people but it was a great shock to everyone.”
Cllr Des Guckian visited Leitrim on the Monday after the tornado hit and spoke to locals and they were “very upset by what had happened.” He said that some locals “weren't totally impressed that Leo Varadkar was coming just to move around the place and felt it was just a PR front.”
He said that a similar event happened 30 years ago in Dromod and that he was just glad that no one had been killed.
“I saw the walls that were levelled and the trees and cars that were damaged. It could have been a total tragedy and ten people could have been killed. Thank God for that.”
At the Ballinamore municipal district, Cllr Enda McGloin praised district engineer Darragh O'Boyle and his team for their efforts. “Every citizen living in the village affected by the storm was hugely complimented on how proactive Leitrim County Council were.”