Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
207. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the status of the establishment and operation of the national flood warning system; what plans there are for the system to go live and be made publicly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40055/23]
View answerIn 2016, the Government agreed to the establishment of a National Flood Forecasting and Warning Service (NFFWS) to enable members of the public and local authorities take more preparatory action to reduce the impact of flooding.
The Office of Public Works (OPW) chairs the Steering Group for the NFFWS, which is also comprised of representatives from Met Éireann, the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the County and City Management Association, to steer and support the establishment of the new Service.
The Steering Group has agreed an implementation plan for Stage I (establishment phase) of the multi-stage development of the NFFWS and there has been significant progress made to date in relation to its development. Stage I of the Service is primarily concerned with the set-up and establishment of the Service and comprises the following main tasks:
• Recruitment and training of staff for Met Éireann’s Flood Forecasting Centre (FFC) (11 Staff members)
• Provision of accommodation for the FFC
• Provision of real-time hydrometric and meteorological data for the Service
• Development of hydrological models (river models) for flood forecasting
• Transfer of the National Tide and Storm Surge Forecast model to Met Éireann
• Development of the Irish Flood Information Communication System (IFICS)
The Irish Flood Integrated Communication System (IFICS), developed by Met Éireann is an online platform that is being used to disseminate flood forecasts, weather and hydrological observations and for the issuing of Daily Flood Guidance Statements (DFGS) on a trial basis to a restricted group of agencies. Met Éireann has provided training to Local Authorities on the use of the system and on the interpretation of the forecasts.
A pre-operational version of the national scale flood forecasting system has been developed and testing of the system will conclude shortly. This will be followed by a report on the outcomes of the testing which will contain recommendations for any further improvements to be made.
When Stage 1 is completed, the next stage of implementing the Service (Stage II) will focus on further developing the fluvial and coastal forecast system to provide a greater level of detail and accuracy in forecasted information. The system will be continually refined, involving the installation of new rainfall and flow gauges, improvements to the rainfall radar network and re-calibration of models after notable flood events amongst others. It is envisaged that making the outputs from the flood forecasting system available to a wider audience will be reviewed under Stage II of the Service as forecast information is improved.
When fully operational, this Service will be of significant benefit to communities and individuals to prepare for and lessen the impact of flooding. The Service will deal with flood forecasting from fluvial and coastal sources and it will involve the issuing of flood forecasts and general alerts at both national and catchment scales. Existing flood forecasting and warning systems and arrangements will continue to be maintained until the national Service is fully operational.
