Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate and Environment, Pa Daly TD, has called on the government to review its climate adaptation measures urgently and build Ireland’s resilience against extreme weather.
Teachta Daly said that the mistakes of the past must not be repeated and warnings must not continue to be ignored.
Commenting on recently published research from Galway College of Science and Engineering, Teachta Daly said that Irish weather is changing and becoming more extreme and that for many the results have been absolutely devastating.
Devastation in North Kerry
“For example, in my own constituency of Kerry, heavy rainfall triggered devastating flooding in Listowel in November. In January, the roof of the Tralee Sports complex collapsed due to heavy snowfall.
“Moreover, the recent storms Darragh and Éowyn wreaked havoc on households, communities and businesses the length and breadth of the country.
“In the aftermath of Storm Daragh, nearly 400,000 people lost power. While the destruction it caused was significant, the aftermath of Storm Éowyn was even worse.
At its peak, 768,000 homes were without power, 120,000 homes lost water and 160,000 had their broadband cut off due to storm Éowyn.
No Access to Necessities
“Many were without access to these necessities for weeks, causing significant distress and hardship.
“It is hard to believe that things could have been much worse. However, according to newly published research from Galway’s College of Science and Engineering, if it had happened a week earlier – the aftermath would have been catastrophic for many areas of the country.
“According to the research, tidal conditions combined with Éowyn’s hurricane-force winds would have created storm surges more than five meters high in densely populated areas.
“Huge waves would have crashed far inland and left large areas under several meters of sea water.
A Stark Warning to Government
“Galway and Limerick cities, and Shannon Airport would have been badly hit.
“This is a stark warning to government that Ireland must urgently adapt to a changed climate. Extreme weather events are only going to grow in scale and frequency. Therefore, Ireland’s must adjust if we are going to protect workers, families, communities and businesses up and down the country.
“However, it has been a hallmark of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to ignore warnings and to bury their heads in the sand.
Alarm Bell Sounded Years Ago
“For example, the energy regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, sounded the alarm bell years ago regarding the vulnerability of Ireland’s electricity network to extreme weather.
“Similarly, the government’s own climate adaptation plan for the electricity and gas sector in 2017 highlighted the dangers falling trees and flooding posed. However, what did the government do in response? Not very much.
“I am therefore urging the government to learn from their past mistakes and step up their game when it comes to adapting to extreme weather.
“Otherwise, the aftermath of the next storm could be even worse,” Teachta Daly concluded.
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