The response to all emergencies is appropriately locally-led in the first instance (by relevant local authorities in the case of severe weather). Local authorities are the lead agencies, locally, for response to flooding. The Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government monitors the situation and determines if a National Co-ordination Group should be convened.
The National Coordination Group again met in the (NECC) National Emergency Coordination Centre today (Friday 8th January 2016) to review the situation and the response to flooding by emergency services.
The NCG is comprised of representatives from all the main government departments and all the key state agencies this includes, inter alia, OPW, ESB, HSE, Civil Defence, Coast Guard, Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána & Met Eireann.
The Group heard updates, the outlook for the weather and the levels in the river systems, as well as the effects in communities around the country. The rainfall of recent weeks has brought effects, including flooding to roads, properties, homes and farmland, over a widespread area. Over eight hundred properties, including homes, have been affected since the onset of flooding early in December, while many other properties are at risk from flooding and experiencing access difficulties.
Local authorities continue to respond and assist communities in areas affected, and remain on standby and continue to monitor the situation in the areas where further flooding may occur. The local authority response and the necessary preparations continue to be supplemented by the Defence Forces and other service providers when and where required.
The public are advised to be vigilant when travelling on roads as there may be local flooding or debris on the roads where flood waters have subsided. Travelling at reduced speeds in the affected areas is also advised. Road users are advised to check local authority websites for information on roads affected by flooding, and on diversions or alternative routes.
New Package of measures announced by Government 5 January 2016.
Scheme of assistance for farmers affected
New fodder replacement scheme
Local Authority clean-up fund has been increased by a further €10m, in addition to the €8m already committed
Establishment of a River Shannon Co-ordination Group
Red Cross compensation scheme to be extended to inlcude sporting facilities
OPW to oversee two individual pilot " home protection schemes "
Department of Transport to bring infrastructure damage report to Government, with funding to be supplied in due course
Farm family homes to be eligible under the Humanitarian Aid scheme
Department of the Environment and OPW to meet with EU Environment Commissioner
Taoiseach and relevant Ministers to meet with Insurance Industry representatives next week
New Flood Forecasting Unit to be established with additional staff - to be staffed by OPW and Met Eireann
Issue of community resilience to be examined, with lessons learned from recent events about how best to engage with and support those suffering from adverse weather events.
Met Eireann
Today will be cold with sunny spells and scattered showers, some heavy in the west and southwest and a few wintry on hills.
Tonight will be mainly dry at first with clear spells and just scattered showers. Heavy showers will spread from the southwest to many parts of Munster and Leinster during the night, and then clear again later in the night. A band of showery rain will reach southern coastal areas before dawn. There will be a slight to sharp frost away from south coasts and there will be a risk of icy patches. Winds will be mainly light, from variable directions.
Tomorrow will continue cold with frost and icy patches in the morning. Showery rain will spread from the south to all areas during the morning with some snow on high ground in the west and north. Drier and brighter weather with sunny spells will follow from the south in the afternoon.
ESB
ESB advises that spilling from the Inniscarra Dam has ceased.
Throughout the period ESB has been working in closely with Cork County Council and Cork City Council.
View infographic on the Lee system
ESB advises that the levels in Lough Derg dropped marginally in the past 24 hours and that the flow of water through Parteen Weir will remain at 470 cubic metres per second today Friday 8th January 2016. The situation will be reviewed again tomorrow.
This level of water flow will continue to have associated flooding to land and property in the vicinity of the Shannon downstream of Parteen Weir including the areas of Springfield, Montpelier, Castleconnell, Mountshannon (Annacotty) and the University of Limerick. Note that other areas between Parteen Weir and Limerick may also be vulnerable to flooding due to local issues.
ESB is continuing to monitor the situation and is liaising with the relevant County Councils.
View infographic on the River Shannon system.
OPW
OPW continues to monitor the hydrometric network and the following is the current position:
All gauges on the Upper Shannon catchment have fallen in the past 48 hours. The following are the level changes:
Upper Catchment: Carrick-on-Shannon has fallen by 2cm and is currently 19cm below its recent 13 December peak.
Mid catchment - Athlone area has fallen by 2cm in the last 48 hours and Athlone is currently approx 1cm below the 2009 peak level. Lough Ree has fallen by 2cm and is currently approx 2cm above its 2009 peak.
Lower catchment to Lough Derg at Banagher has fallen by 4cm and is now 5cm below the 2009 peak level. Limerick city has fallen by approx 10cm in the past 48 hours and is now 15cm below its recent peak of 13 December 2015.
The smaller Shannon tributaries of the Suck and Brosna have both fallen significantly in the last 48 hours. The river Inny has fallen by 1cm in the last 48 hours but is well below the 2009 peak.
The River Erne at Belturbet has fallen by 6cm in the past 48 hours and is 11cm below its recent peak of 2 January 2016. However, it needs to be monitored carefully in the coming days.
Each of the following additional rivers have risen in the past 48 hours – Moy, Munster Blackwater, Boyne and the Slaney remains unchanged. Whilst they are currently well below their recent peaks they should continue to be closely monitored for the coming days.
The following rivers have all fallen significantly in the last 48 hours - Suir, Nore, Clare, Barrow, Bandon and Fergus.
We remain in a Severe Flood Situation in the Mid to Lower Shannon Catchment and Upper Erne Catchment and in a high flood situation in the Upper Shannon and its Brosna, Suck and Inny tributaries and on the Mid to Lower Erne Catchment. Ongoing flood defence efforts including maintenance of temporary flood defences and pumping will therefore have to continue for some time.
Effects of flooding and safety messages
There is still significant flooding on roads in many parts of the country, and motorists are advised to heed the local authority warnings in this regard. The RSA also has useful advice on their website. In some areas clean ups are taking place and there may be debris or damage to road surfaces so people should be extra vigilant.
Road users should on local authority websites for information on road closures and diversion routes. Pedestrians and cyclists should ensure they can be seen – wear high visibility clothing. The Garda Síochána have advised all motorists to stick to diversions. There has been some instances of people ignoring these diversions and getting stuck in flood waters which can cause delays to other road users.
Significant numbers of homes and properties are affected or threatened by floodwaters in many areas of the country. Local authorities and other emergency services, along with volunteers in communities, and with assistance from the Defence Forces, Civil Defence, and Irish Red Cross, continue to work to support communities and maintain flood defences. Local authorities remain on standby to assist where further flooding affects communities.
People should avoid contact with floodwaters, which may be contaminated.
If it is necessary to walk through floodwater, use a stick or walking pole to test the ground under the water.
Do not enter flowing floodwaters – they may be deeper and faster flowing than they appear.
The public is reminded to avoid walking along riverbanks, which may be unsafe due to swollen rivers until it is safe to do so. They are also requested to heed any public warnings from the local authorities or local media outlets. People are further advised to follow local flood warnings issued through local authorities for more detailed information.
Individuals or groups planning outdoor activities, such as hiking, should be aware of weather forecasts and local conditions. The advice is to wear appropriate clothing and footwear, inform a responsible person of your plans, including planned route, numbers of people involved (never go alone), and planned time of return. In the event you get into difficulty, and require emergency service assistance, call before dark; this helps rescue teams to locate you more quickly.
The public is asked to check on vulnerable neighbours during this period, and assist them with supplies of fuel, food, or medications.
As clean-up work is under way in many affected properties across the country, the Group notes the importance of safety and hygiene for those involved. Advice on flood clean-up is available at the website of the Health Services Executive (www.hse.ie) and on the OPW website (www.flooding.ie).
People are advised against making unnecessary journeys on floodwaters by boat, canoe, raft or other vessels. This puts the people involved and others at risk, including where high flood levels can bring people into close proximity with overhead electricity networks.
Irish Water
Irish Water has advised that a boil water notice which had been imposed on the Whitegate Regional Water Supply Scheme on the advice of the HSE due to high turbidity in the Dower spring source serving this area of east Cork has been lifted.
Septic Tanks Advice
What should I do if my septic tank is flooded?
If possible, the system should not be used until flooding subsides below the level of the tank, but this is more to prevent water backing up into a property than any other reason.
In short, many systems will be robust, they will be recovered and will be usable after a flood.
Where electrical components are used or damage is suspected – then a professional assessment (and repair) is necessary.
There is no significant environmental concern above and beyond that posed by the wider flooding event.
Septic Tanks - what to do after flooding
1. Due to the potential for toxic gases in all septic systems, any servicing, cleaning, repairs, internal damage assessments and emptying/ pumping must be carried out by trained and experienced specialists.
2. After the flooding subsides, replace any dislodged manhole covers and check the system for any external signs of damage such as settlement, ponding of waste water, overflowing, blocked drains or not accepting water from the house.
3. If you suspect damage, or if your system relies on electrical components such as pumps, have the entire system assessed by a professional service engineer.
4. Ensure that any nearby private wells are checked and disinfected prior to use by following the EPA advice (available on www.epa.ie) for private well owners on what to do after flooding.
(See https://www.epa.ie/newsandevents/news/)
As always, do not enter flood waters as manholes may have been dislodged and the flood water will be contaminated and may pose a risk to health.
The group noted the responses of emergency services, defence forces, local authority workers, rescue teams, state agencies, businesses and the public for their hard work and patience during the recent event. The NCG will meet again tomorrow to review matters and Local Authorities will continue to monitor conditions and respond in support of communities.
Government support for small businesses
Government decided previously to establish a fund of €5m to aid small businesses which have suffered damage to their property in the current flooding. The fund is being administered on behalf of the Government by the Irish Red Cross.
The fund is intended for businesses in towns recognised to be at flood risk by the OPW and which have been unable to get flood risk insurance. Irish Red Cross have begun making payments. 76% of eligible applications have been paid. The Red Cross compensation scheme has been extended to include sporting/community facilities
Application forms are available on the Irish Red Cross website.
Department of the Environment, Community & Local Government
Mr. Alan Kelly, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government welcomed the agreement by Government on a package of key actions to provide immediate support and to establish more coordinated systems and tools to deal with flooding.
In particular, Minister Kelly announced that a further €10 million in funding to be made available to local authorities to cover immediate clean-up costs arising from the last two storms. With €8 million previously made available to local authorities for cleaning up in the aftermath of Storm Desmond in early December, this brings the immediate fund to €18 million.
Department of Social Protection, Humanitarian Assistance Scheme
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) has activated its Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, administered by the local Community Welfare Service (CWS), to assist householders affected by the current bad weather conditions.
The situation in all affected areas is being monitored and CWS staff are engaging with the local authorities, the Gardai and other emergency personnel to ensure supports are being provided to those affected as swiftly as possible.
Staff are assessing and meeting the demand for assistance by the public as the needs arise and when necessary are visiting the homes of persons affected.
People seeking assistance under the scheme should contact their local Department of Social Protection office who will be able to offer assistance.
There is often a time lag between the flooding event and actual claims. However, Community Welfare Service staff are also there to provide reassurance to people that support is available.
Further information and applications forms in relation to the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme are available Department of Social Protection offices in the affected areas and from the Department’s website:
http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Humanitarian-Assistance-Scheme.aspx
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ENDS