A meeting of the National Coordination Group to discuss the on-going severe weather was convened in the (NECC) National Emergency Coordination Centre today (5th February 2014) to review the response to date, to assess the impact of the storms on infrastructure and communities and to ensure that the response of relevant local authorities, Government Departments and Agencies continues to be coordinated.
Met Éireann reported that Ireland has been subject to a sequence of Atlantic storms since 13 December 2013, resulting in extreme wind conditions, episodes of heavy rainfall and lately storm surges associated with high tides and low pressure atmospheric conditions. While the risk of tidal flooding will recede in the coming days, because the seasonal high tides have passed, the current weather pattern is likely to continue for the next 7-10 days, and the major risk in the period will come from river flooding, as nearly every river in the country is already near capacity.
The response to all emergencies is appropriately locally-led in the first instance (by relevant local authorities in the case of severe weather). The Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government monitors the situation and determines if a Severe Weather National Co-ordination Group should be convened if certain trigger conditions are arrived at or where the local response is overwhelmed and central assistance might be required, while these triggers were not met, that National Co-ordination Group has convened, and will continue to convene to ensure that all players at government level are joined up.
Each storm and severe weather warning issued by Met Eireann was monitored by the Department as Lead Government Department for severe weather emergencies and contact was maintained with Met Eireann, the local authorities and the transport and energy sectors. The agencies in the front-line reported on their responses to the storms. As the response phase ends, the relevant local authorities will compile reports on the recent events. Feedback from the flooding in Cork overnight is that the co-ordinated response of the state agencies has worked well, and the Chairman expressed the thanks of the co-ordination group to all of the front line staff involved.
The Department of Social Protection has advised that they have initial allocation of €15m for exceptional and urgent needs, pending a fuller assessment of the situation over the coming weeks. This is in addition to funding already available from the various Government departments.
Local DSP officials are engaging with the Local Authority and a protocol has been established with the Local Authority whereby they will carry out an assessment on the level of assistance required on a house by house basis.
The group thanked the emergency services, local authority workers, state agencies, businesses and the public for their hard work and patience during the recent event.
The Chairman also requested that the public would continue to heed the safety warnings of the authorities, and noted that fortunately there have been no fatalities in the current flooding episodes.