Overall Response to Heavy Flooding and Snowfall Unacceptable-Oireachtas Environment Committee Report

Overhaul of Emergency Management System Urgently Needed as no sense of “Who is in charge”

The overall response to the severe flooding and heavy snowfall of late last year and early 2010 was inadequate and lacked clear direction, a report by the Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has concluded today.

The report has examined the causes and subsequent response to the prolonged flooding which afflicted many parts of the country in late 2009 and the heavy snow which caused significant difficulties earlier this year.

The report finds that while some aspects of the emergency response were positive, there was a clear absence of effective co-ordination and management of the situation, which mitigated against an efficient and well organised response to the events.

During its deliberations, the Committee heard from Met Éireann, ESB, County and City Councils, the Minister for Environment and others. It also undertook a visit to some of the areas worst affected by the floods in Cork

Committee Chairman, Séan Fleming TD said;
“The devastation caused by the flooding of late last year and the heavy snowfalls of early this year will live long in the memory of those who were afflicted by them.

While many individuals and organisations deserve great credit for their actions, we believe that the extent to which people were affected and impacted could have been lessoned with better planning and co-ordination.

There seems to be a distinct lack of clarity regarding who is ultimately in charge of directing the response efforts. Too often we found that the various State agencies defined their responsibilities more in terms of what they do not include rather than what they do. This led to a disjointed and confused reaction.

The report makes a large number of recommendations including:

The Department of Environment Heritage and Local Government:
Major Emergency leadership should be provided by the Minister or the Secretary General.
The Department should manage a national programme of road salt procurement and storage.
The Government should oversee an independent review of the role of the ESB’s Hydro Electric Schemes to examine the conflicting requirements of electricity generation and flood management.
It must be asked why the ESB was not involved in the development by the Department, in the Emergency Management Framework or was made aware of the Cork City Emergency Plan.

The Office of Public Works (OPW):
The OPW’s funding for flood risk management should be substantially increased.
The OPW needs to prepare a national strategy for river drainage and maintenance.
Flood warning systems should be put in place on all major river systems.

Local Authorities:
Each local authority should develop and maintain a database of people vulnerable to effects of extreme weather.
Authorities should prepare specific flood and severe cold weather emergency plans.

Cork City Floods:
An independent investigation team should be established to conduct an in-depth investigation into the events surrounding the flooding of Cork City on the 19/20th November 2009.

Seán Fleming TD said;
“Extreme weather conditions are natural phenomenon which are both inevitable and unavoidable. The challenge for the State is to prepare well and react effectively. The exceptional weather conditions suffered in late 2009 and early 2010 have shown that gaps exist in the system which need to be addressed.

I believe that the recommendations of our report will go some way to filling this gap and help to bring about a more effective and streamlined response effort.”

Recorded rain fall levels for November 2009 were more than twice the normal amount at almost all MET Éireann stations. Of the 440 rainfall stations, 79% recorded their highest ever November rainfall.

December 2009 was the coldest for 28 years with widespread frost and falls of heavy snow in many places. Much of January 2010 experienced daily average temperatures of below zero degrees. The month was the coldest since 1985 and the coldest since 1963 in the Dublin area.

A full copy of the report is available at  http://www.oireachtas.ie/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=-1&CatID=78&m=kT

he report will now be sent to the Minister of Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley TD for his consideration.

ENDS
Daniel English
Oireachtas Communications Unit
01 618 4484
087 6949926
daniel.english@oireachtas.ie
Committee Membership
Sean Fleming TD, Fianna Fáil, Chairman
Padraic McCormack TD, Fine Gael, Vice Chairman
Christy O'Sullivan TD, Fianna Fáil
James Bannon, TD Fine Gael
Phil Hogan, TD Fine Gael
John O'Donoghue TD, Fianna Fail
Joanna Tuffy, TD Labour Party
Johnny Brady TD, Fianna Fáil
Eamon Scanlon TD, Fianna Fáil
Michael Fitzpatrick TD, Fianna Fáil
Ciaran Lynch TD, Labour Party
Sen Camilus Gylnn, Fianna Fáil
Sen Paudie Coffey, Fine Gael
Sen Ciaran Cannon, Fine Gael
Sen Dominic Hannigan, Labour Party