Storm ‘fatigue’ means people only act on risk when seeing red
ANOTHER autumn, another storm, and Ali left its mark on the nation in the most profound way. Two people were killed as it swept across the country, with roads closed and more than 160,000 properties left without power. As gusts of up to 150kmh hit exposed parts of the west coast, the question many are asking is whether the warnings were enough?
The Government insists all precautions were taken, with Met Éireann issuing an orange weather warning on Tuesday morning, while the Road Safety Authority urged motorists not to take unnecessary risks.
Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty told the Dáil the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management had been monitoring the situation since last week as Storm Helene began to raise concerns, and was in contact with the appropriate agencies over recent days. But is this enough?
Some people in Co Galway suggest the warning should have been upgraded to red from early morning as conditions worsened. But the issue may not be with the warnings, but with the public’s response. Is an orange warning enough? Does it need to be red before people pay heed?
“Is there fatigue or do people not pay attention?” one source says. “This is Mother Nature. People seem to forget that.”
To date, the Government has ruled out forcing people to remain at home, shutting public services or closing schools and businesses except in extreme circumstances, such as happened during Storm Emma this year. If it were to do so, it could prove an expensive course of action, especially in light of the fact that some events never come to pass – just look at the damp squib that was Storm Helene earlier this week. Would it be obliged to compensate businesses and employees for loss of earnings? And how would it deal with working parents forced to find childminders at short notice? Issuing diktats is fraught with complications.
And while Storm Ali may have been severe, it was just a winter storm, according to expert Professor John Sweeney.
“It’s the first of the winter ones, albeit a bit more severe,” he said. “Because we’ve had a long period of quiet weather, it’s come as a bit of a surprise and shock, but there’s another two or three lining up.”
And therein lies the problem. Ireland is routinely battered by storms. Ophelia struck last October, claiming three lives, to be followed by five major storms over the following winter – Caroline, Dylan, Eleanor, Fionn and Georgina. There were six storms in the winter of 2015-16, while the winter of 2013-14 was noted for an exceptionally high number, with Darwin striking in February 2014. Ali wasn’t an unusual event.
The Government can issue all the warnings in the world but two things hold largely true – people take risks, and sometimes bad things happen. As the winter approaches, the advice is to take account of local conditions and to be sensible.