Local authorities are designated as lead agencies for co-ordinating the local response to flooding emergencies as per the Government decision relating to the “Framework for Major Emergency Management” (2006).
The arrangements for emergency management are seen as having worked extremely well, in particular the responses led by local authorities to flooding and other severe weather emergencies. All local authorities have an established Severe Weather Assessment Team in place, monitoring Met Éireann weather warnings, High Tide Advisories and European Flood Awareness System (EFAS) advisory warnings. Local authorities also have Severe Weather/ Flood Plans in place to support the response to weather emergencies. My Department undertakes the Lead Government Department role, as set out in the Strategic Emergency Management (SEM) Framework (2017), in relation to co-ordination of national level response to flooding emergencies, where warranted. The Department's National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management undertakes this role and works closely with Local Authority Severe Weather Assessment Teams. The Office of Public Works (OPW) is the lead organisation for flood risk management in Ireland. The OPW has set out in Flood Plans how that flood risk is to be managed through investment in flood relief schemes and other policy measures. The Flood Plans detail the flood risk and proposed feasible flood risk management measures for 300 areas of significant flood risk throughout the country.
The Department of Social Protection have activated their Humanitarian Aid scheme for uninsured householders. Small businesses, sports clubs, community and voluntary organisations impacted by flooding, who do not have insurance, may apply for assistance under the Business Flooding Support Scheme activated by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and operated through the Irish Red Cross. Since 2009, my Department has made financial support available to assist local authorities in meeting the unbudgeted costs of clean-up and necessary immediate works for exceptional overtime payments, the hire of plant and heavy machinery, the purchase of materials required for the clean-up and the hire of contractors associated with significant severe weather emergency events.
This is in recognition of the exceptional nature of activities carried out by local authorities in responding to these types of emergencies and the fact that the costs of these un-programmed activities generally cannot be met from within existing resources. This practice is considered a vital enabler of the local authority response, providing the assurance that availability of resources is not a limiting factor in providing a very effective local response. In the context of the flooding that has occurred in recent weeks and the exceptional nature of the response activities carried out by local authorities, clearly the costs of these activities were not budgeted for within existing resources. My Department, working with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, are exploring options available to allocate supplementary funding to contribute towards exceptional expenditure directly associated with recent flood responses and has issued a Circular to local authorities, requesting each affected local authority to make a submission detailing eligible unbudgeted costs related to the response, clean-up and necessary immediate works.
Uisce Éireann have indicated that the Whitegate-Aghada Sewerage Scheme is on track for completion by mid-2024, with substantial progress having been made to date. The foreshore licence has been granted and construction of the outfall pipe from the new WWTP will take place when sea conditions improve, which is likely to be next Spring. Once the outfall pipe is complete, commissioning of the plant will commence, and this is expected to be complete by mid-2024.
This project involves construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and sewerage infrastructure that will eliminate the discharge of untreated wastewater from the Whitegate and Aghada areas into Cork Harbour. Once commissioned, the scheme will improve water quality in Cork.
Uisce Éireann are also working with Cork County Council to assist the local community, including through isolating and removing gullies from the combined sewer.
