Response to Ophelia ‘best ever’
THE work of the outdoor and roads crews during Storm Ophelia was praised by councillors and management.
District manager Sinéad Casey said the country was on lockdown as soon as a Code Red. ‘Wexford major emergency committee convened. Decisions were taken and procedures were put in place. All public places were closed and staff were sent home. Winds came in as forecast averaging with severe gales and hurricane force winds in Wexford town. A wave height of 12 metres was recorded south of Tuskar at 4 p.m. on Monday. That shows the ferocity and intensity of the storm.’
She said thankfully no major structural damage was caused.
Council staff were out as soon as the winds died down on Monday. ‘ They cleared the primary and regional roads and by 11 p.m. everything was reported clear. They were out again at 7 a.m. on Tuesday by which time 98 per cent of roads were cleared. Water service inspector worked tirelessly to rig up generators to get water back to main areas. There was agreement that the ESB would deal with power outages for vulnerable people. They didn’t mobilise until 6.30 p.m. and they worked tirelessly with crews coming from outside the jurisdiction to assist.’
Ms Casey thanked the public for their cooperation. ‘ The great majority heeded the warnings and stayed indoors so our job was made easier. There was very little traffic on the roads in New Ross and thankfully there weren’t any fatalities here and we have no reported injuries. We will continue to work on the clean up.’
District director Eamonn Hore said the fire service and gardaí manned their stations and were on call outs within the district in the wake of Hurricane Ophelia. He praised executive engineer Abraham Dunne for his active role monitoring the emerging situation on Monday and Virgin Media who offered their services. The newly constructed part of the flood scheme in Marshmeadows at North Quay and Rosbercon, operated successfully during the storm tides on October 16. he said the New Ross flood defence project will be completed next month. Remaining works include 250m of glass pannelling to commence this month, drainage works and demountable barriers to be fitted in November. Both the Arthurstown and Ballyhack flood schemes operated successfully during storm tides.
‘ The advance work we did in Ballyhack and Arthurstown prevented flooding and the new flood protection measures at Sweeney’s and Sidney’s in Marshmeadows were well tested.’
He praised Cllr Larry O’Brien for getting a generator to a local nursing home at very short notice when it lost power. Cathaoirleach Cllr Willie Fitzharris said: ‘It’s very difficult to comprehend this operation. There was no indecision. decisions were made and that was it. I want to complement our staff who managed this expertly and all our emergency services.’
Cllr Michael Whelan said: ‘A lot of the district is still without power as people head into three or four days more without it. Is it possible to get a more detailed response from the ESB. I know there are several faults on the line but it just might make it easier to explain to people. This affects me, my neighbours and people from other areas.’
District director Eamonn Hore said he would ask the ESB to provide more detailed timelines for when power would be returning to communities across the district. ‘I wouldn’t be overconfident,’ he added.
Cllr MIchael Sheehan congratulated all of the staff who worked in the area after the storm. ‘When we look back on this storm it will be looked at as the finest hour of public officials in this county. Everyone spoke with one voice and were clear. The storm brought out a community spirit we haven’t seen in this county for some time. Neighbour was looking after neighbour and the first priority was to make sure that everyone was Ok. I want to thank those who put their lives at risk trying to get people without power back on line. People had no electricity, no food and no heat.’
Cllr Larry O’Brien thanked everyone involved from the council outdoor staff to the management.
‘ The outdoor staff went back out after the eye of the storm and cleared the roads and were back out again the following morning.’
Cllr Fitzharris said in the past there would always be major structural damage in New Ross after a lesser storm than Ophelia, but there was no damage reported this time,
He thanked Superintendent John McDonald and all gardaí for their work last Monday. Supt McDonald praised the council workers for their hard work and the public for heeding the warnings. He said: ‘We will review our plans and if there are areas we can improve on we will look at them to ensure we are better prepared for future storms.’