Car and Driver in scandal rocked Ireland

If i were a tourist i certainly would not like to be driving in Ireland at the moment as the detours that you have to make due to the flooding take you down many narrow and winding country roads that are not used to this heavy traffic.In many areas the flooding is beginning to recede but there are areas where it is still actually getting worse due to the release of water from under pressure dams etc. It will be a long time before we get over this one. I have been fortunate to live in an area where we have not been exposed to this flooding and i really do feel for those people who are affected. The Irish people have once again shown their generosity to those in need and the donations to the Red Cross and the St Vincent De Paul charity have been extraordinary. The voluntary assistance from neighbours and the community at large in helping those in trouble has been admirable and people have worked around the clock putting up flood barriers and evacuating people from their homes. Neighbours have taken in families and housed and fed them as they had to leave everything behind them as the flooding was so sudden. This type of thing is out of the ordinary for us and these floods have been unprecedented. In the past we have rallied mainly helping those in need in other countries when they have had their disasters but i do not remembr any time when we had such a large scale disaster here. I hope it is a long time before we see another one but with the way our climate has changed i would not be too hopeful.If i lived in an area that had been flooded this time i would be very nervous.
Thank you for your comments on my article about the child abuse scandals. I think that now that the flood gates have opened we will hear more and more but the main thing is that those who are inclined to do these things will know that they are not as safe as they used to be. No longer will it be acceptable for any organization or institution to make their own rules on how to deal with reports of sexual abuse. No longer will they be able to say....he is one of ours...we will deal with him. The law stands the same for all of us....with no exceptions. Anybody trying to cover anything up from now on will be guilty of a crime and the law will deal with them as criminals.It is important to keep in mind that these abusers, paedophiles and perverts, are not only among the religious groups. They are in the sporting bodies, they are in the schools, they are in the boy scouts and the girl guides and the swimming organizations and football clubs. They are anywhere that they think they will find an opportunity and we should always be alert. It is not a pleasant thought to think that the majority of abuse happens still in the family home. The abusers are cunning and usually above suspicion. They can be a family member or a relative. They are usually people who seem to love children. It does not mean that we have to have to treat everybody with deep suspicion but if we notice anything, especially any change in the behaviour of a child we should be on the alert. If a child gives the slightest indication that there is something wrong we should try to find out what it is. If they seem to be wary of somebody or if they make a complaint about somebody we should listen to them. For too long nobody listened and children were told not to repeat such horrible accusations even by parents. Listen to them and try to find out more no matter who they point the finger at. If there is an accusation then you need to talk to somebody who is qualified to help you to do whatever is necessary. Get advice before you confront anybody. Accusations are not always correct and there may be an underlying reason for a false accusation so professional assistance is needed when handling these. They might talk more freely to someone other than you, maybe their doctor, but listen to them. These things do not happen to them without a change occuring in them. They are growing up in a difficult world, a dangerous world. They need our help and protection. Now we know from experience that we relied on many people we should not have relied on. We trusted blindly. We were wrong to do that. Let it not happen again.
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