More caution essential amid storm flood risks

THEY say that the weather is one of the few things in life that is always unrehearsed. This week it went from small talk to a national preoccupation and with good reason. The men and women of the emergency services and the ESB had no time to draw breath following Hurricane Ophelia when in roared Storm Brian. We are used to the elements being capricious, but the extremes experienced over the past few days ought to convince most that climate change is a force that must be reckoned with.

Once more Met Éireann has been obliged to issue an orange alert for high winds in southern and western coastal counties from Mayo to Wexford, with winds gusting up to 130kmh.

A status yellow wind warning is in place for the rest of the country, with gusts reaching 110kmh.

The most serious accidents occur when we are oblivious to the dangers – well, we have been warned.

Tragic as the loss of life was when Ophelia struck, the toll would have been higher still were the warnings not heeded. The National Emergency Co-ordination Group played a key role in making sure that people were advised of the risks.

The worry with Storm Brian is that the expected high levels of rainfall, driven by gales, and the affect of high tides could result in serious flooding.

Caution, especially around coastal areas, is therefore essential.