COLD SNAP HITS HARD AS PEOPLE LEFT WITH NO WATER SUPPLY
LOUTH LOCAL AUTHORITIES SPEND ALMOST €200,000 GRITTING ONLY MAJOR ROADS IN COUNTY January 2010
FROZEN pipes cut water to hundreds of homes across Dundalk as the town council responds to almost 300 emergency calls.
‘It is the worst situation the council has faced in over 30 years,’ says senior engineer Peter McVeigh, adding that a hotline is inundated.
‘We are attempting to get back to every caller, and do what we can. But in many cases it will simply take time for the ground to thaw.’
He describes how council workers have to dig through two feet of underground ice to reach water pipes when they respond to a call on the Armagh Road.
‘ The difficulty is that it takes a long time for the ice to build up during the prolonged frost we have, so it may take some time to thaw.
‘ There has been some success in restoring supply if the stopcock can be located and unfrozen, but in some instances it may need to be replaced.’
Mr McVeigh explains that water pipes are normally imstalled about 450mm below the ground surface, which is sufficient to protect against winter conditions.
‘But the weather we have had causes abnormal conditions, so a lot of areas are frozen underground.’
The engineer admits that the weather places extraordinary pressure on resources, with staff working around the clock.
‘We provide temporary facilities in an estate where there is a concentration of outages, and that seems to work well as hundreds of people avail of the supplies.’
In some cases, the council has been providing bottled water to homes, but the general advice issued is that as a precautionary measure householders and businesses should put in place arrangements to have drinking water available.
Meanwhile, the snow and icy conditions make elderly people virtual prisoners in their own homes as footpaths and roads become treacherous.
Sub-zero temperatures, as low as -10 degrees, result in all sections of the population being advised against non-vital travel.
‘With ongoing freezing temperatures many older people are afraid to venture out and those who do not have family or friends living nearby remain extremely vulnerable,’ says Ann Marron, of the Nestling Project.
She, along with Pat Kerins, is a ‘service broker’ and they work to ensure older people who are housebond by the cold snap have enough fuel, food and medicine.
And, Dundalk Simon Community appeals to anyone who is aware of homeless people sleeping rough to contact them immediately.
‘ There is no reason why any person should be sleeping rough in Dundalk, as despite the centre being extremely busy, we will make room for emergency accommodation,’ says Niall Mulligan, CEO.
It is revealed Louth local authorities spend close to €200,000 gritting roads in the county.
This expense will have a huge knockon effect for the roads budget, warns council engineer Gerry Kelly.
He explains it is policy to grit only the major roads. Gritting costs €600 per-night during the cold spell.