Gales, torrential rain batter country in ‘weather bomb’
Storm Brian brings flood and damage threat in wake of Ophelia
THE country was bracing itself for the wrath of Storm Brian just days after Hurricane Ophelia caused damage and devastation across Ireland.
With communities still reeling from the carnage of Ophelia, the latest storm is set to bring heavy rainfall and wind gusts of up to 130kmh in some counties.
A status orange wind warning is in effect until 10pm for counties Mayo, Galway, Clare, Kerry, Cork, Waterford and Wexford, with risks of flooding in some areas.
A status yellow wind warning is also in place for the rest of the country. The ‘weather bomb’ slamming into Ireland comes just days after Ophelia caused up to €800m in damage across the country and left three people dead.
Council workers in Cork deployed sandbags in flood danger areas last night and many smaller rivers were cleared of debris amid fears of localised flooding. The Department of Transport has warned people to heed the weather warnings.
A statement said: “We’re asking people to take extra care. Rough seas and extreme weather might look exciting, but getting close can be risky.
“The Coast Guard strongly advises the public to stay away from exposed beaches, cliffs and piers, harbour walls and promenades along the coast.”
THE night before Ophelia made landfall, Sean Hogan was nervous. The national director of fire and emergency management, he had never experienced the full force of a hurricane, but had read reports about Debbie, which struck in 1961, killing 11.
“My primary concern was how it would impact on people’s safety,” he says.
“I have to be worried about not so much that the winds will be 130kmh, but what damage will they cause? The worst point for me was on Sunday morning and thinking about what the impact might be.”
Mr Hogan has been at the centre of the State’s response to Ophelia, which left three dead, thousands without water and power, and caused damages estimated to be as high as €800m. The response has been heralded as exemplary. He says this is because agencies knew a storm was coming, but adds: “If you had houses flooded, and widespread misery and destruction, this mightn’t be seen as such a success.”
Aided by a team of six based in the Custom House, Mr Hogan decided last Friday morning to trigger the National Emergency Co-ordination Committee, a multi-agency and interdepartmental group he chairs and which oversees the response.
Part of the reason why it worked so effectively was that a framework was in place to deal with major emergencies, and because local authorities, the ESB and other agencies had time to prepare. In all, some 10,000 people were on the ground after Ophelia passed, restoring power and other essential services and clearing roads.
“We did have an optimal time of 48 hours. The local authorities were ready to go. But it wasn’t just that they were ready to go, they had the support structure behind them as well. You could put 10,000 out there to work, but unless they’re co-ordinated – with ESB crews working with local authority staff, for example – they won’t hit the ground and do what needs to be done.”
There was frustration at people insisting on swimming, but he says he wouldn’t support imposition of a curfew.
“You may be in charge, but you don’t have the power to direct anybody to do anything. Nobody is happy with that sort of silly and dangerous behaviour. My personal view is the people of Ireland are more sensible than needing a statutory ‘you must do this’. People must take account of things. In the majority of cases, they did.”
But what about future responses?
“We had warnings, which didn’t happen in Donegal [in the August flooding]. We have to be conscious of this. We don’t have control over nature, but we do have control on how the State responds and prepares. Maybe we’re 90pc of the way there.
“If the event were to go on for a week, I’m not sure we could have sustained that level of intensity. People get tired, and I’m not sure we have our support systems as evolved as we need to. In this department, we have one great thing, where we have people who used to work in this section who could be called back. I’m not sure other departments would have that.
“I don’t want to suggest there are huge problems. We sustained the last flooding event for 42 days, but what we were doing on Monday was
looking at a dynamic situation which was evolving all the time. One of the lessons out of this is how would I and my family survive without power and water supply? If electricity goes, do I have an alternative way of cooking and heating my house? Can I find my way around in the dark? Can I charge my phone, do I have a battery pack? People are fantastic at looking after themselves and their neighbours.
“For me, and I’m probably too close to make a call on whether it was a success, the system that we’ve been building with a lot of effort and people over the last decade worked.”