THE NURSE who died in her home in Dublin during flooding earlier this week has been praised as “a highly valued member of staff” by the hospice in which she worked.
Gardaí are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of Celia Ferrer de Jesus, a married mother of one from the Philippines, whose body was found in a flooded basement of a house on Parnell Road, Harold’s Cross, on Tuesday morning. Her body was discovered after emergency services pumped water from the flat.
Ms Ferrer de Jesus (58), had worked as a nurse at the nearby Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services in Harold’s Cross since 2001. She was a member of the household team in the rheumatology rehabilitation unit of the hospice.
Hospice chief executive Mo Flynn said news of Ms Ferrer de Jesus’s death had moved and saddened her colleagues deeply.
“During her 10 years with us Celia was a highly valued member of staff who provided excellent service wherever she was required,” Ms Flynn said.
Ms Ferrer de Jesus moved to the Republic and began working at the hospice following a recruitment drive in the Philippines more than a decade ago. She is survived by her husband Angelito and son Michael Kevin (19), who remained in the Philippines.
Irish and Filipino authorities are liaising over plans to return Ms Ferrer de Jesus’s body to the Philippines for burial.
The funeral of the garda who died after being swept into a river during the floods is to take place in Co Wicklow tomorrow.
Garda Ciaran Jones (25), from Manor Kilbride, was dragged into the Liffey from the Ballysmuttan Bridge close to his home at about 7pm on Monday after he attempted to warn motorists not to cross the bridge. The remains of Garda Jones, who was stationed at Stepaside, Co Dublin, will be removed to St Brigid’s Church in Manor Kilbride at 5.30pm today.
He is survived by his parents John and Brenda, siblings Alan and Michelle, and girlfriend Clare.
Meanwhile, Dublin City Council said damage to the Wolfe Tone Quay wall was not caused by the Liffey but by the intensity of the rainfall on an old structure.
City council executive manager Tom Leahy said work to remedy the problem would begin as soon as possible and traffic remains restricted to one lane.
Mr Leahy said several hundred properties were affected at 30 to 40 locations citywide.
Minister of State for the Office of Public Works Brian Hayes said he hoped to make a statement in weeks on a protocol to help homeowners prone to flooding after talks with the Irish Insurance Federation. “What is indefensible in my view is where the State . . . funds capital projects and . . . flood defences and then we find local residents in that community can’t obtain insurance.”