Louth County Council - Preparing for Winter
With the frequency and severity of weather warnings increasing, Louth County Council recognises the need to be ready, and preparations for the winter months are well underway. In the event of a severe or extreme weather alert being issued, Louth County Council will convene a meeting of its Crisis Management Team (CMT), which is chaired by the Council’s Director of Operations. The make-up of the team varies based on the type of crisis the Council is addressing and can include a number of directorates, such as Engineering, Fire & Rescue, Community, Housing, and Corporate Services to guide a co-ordinated front line response and public information campaign. During a CMT meeting the situation will be assessed, available resources listed, key strategic and operational goals identified, and critically, what direct actions are to be taken. Though well in advance of any meetings, Louth County Council roads and operations staff are busy ensuring personnel and equipment are geared up to respond in the event of adverse weather conditions. Ongoing examination and clearing of bridge arches, culverts and gullies is conducted to assist flood water or melt water drain away. Sandbags are prepared at Council yards in early autumn and are distributed along the coast and areas prone to flooding. Where required, additional sandbags are made available for collection from a number of Council depots around the county. The Council recently stockpiled an additional 30 tonnes of sand for this purpose. Even minor details are checked by Council staff, such as ensuring contact details for tree surgery contractors are up to date, in case additional crews are required. Conditions can change quickly in bad weather, so Louth County Council provide a 24 hour number (ph: 1890 202 303) for the public to report non-emergency issues where information may assist the Council in co-ordinating prioritised responses. A number of useful booklets covering road safety, being winter ready, flood safety, and information for schools & parents are also available on the Louth County Council website. For major emergencies The Chief Executive of Louth County Council can convene a meeting of the Louth Local Co-ordination Group. This group consists of representatives from An Garda Síochána, the HSE and senior members of the Council. Through this group, the Council leads the management of assistance provision to HSE services. The Defence Forces, Irish Coastguard and Civil Defence can be brought in by the Council to provide a variety of supports, such as the transportation of palliative and home care staff to patients, and delivery of critical medicines. Commenting, Alan Sherry, Senior Executive Officer with Louth County Council said: “Our Emergency plan procedure has established a highly effective method for ensuring that the Council, An Garda Síochána and the HSE are acting in a co-ordinated manner in response to unusual events such as storm Emma and Ophelia. In both weather events, all agencies ensured the appropriate resources were deployed to maximum effect and provided support to each other. This co-ordinated and planned approach has also ensured that the public receive accurate and up-to-date information throughout events. The response to an event is then reviewed so that any learnings can be applied to future situations”. During periods of severe weather, it is important to obtain the latest information. Louth County Council re-tweet Met Éireann weather forecasts and warnings. To keep up to date with Council information please visit www.louthcoco.ie and on Twitter @louthcoco.