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SIMON COVENEY HAS said that the Government has learned its lesson from a lack of preparedness for severe weather in previous winters.
The Agriculture Minister was speaking at the ‘Be Winter-Ready’ event in Dublin this afternoon, where he co-launched a website and booklet that provides advice for people and businesses as we move into the winter months.
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said that the Government currently has access to 211,000 tonnes of salt should we be faced with snow storms that have in the past ground the country to a halt.
A spokesperson for the National Roads Authority (NRA) said that €1.8 million has been spent on ensuring we have enough salt for our roads.
Donohoe said that this represents a “very significant increase” in the amount of salt available as during the last major snow “emergency” we need just over 100,000 tonnes.
Coveney said it was appropriate that the Government, alongside the NRA, Met Éireann, the AA and other bodies including Bus Éireann, was launching ‘Winter Ready’ on a day where there was an orange weather warning in place.
He said that the Government was “better prepared this year than ever before”, but added: “That’s not to say that’s there’s not still lessons to be learned.”
Flooding
Meteorologist Gerald Fleming said that he couldn’t predict weather beyond the next three to four weeks, but has concerns about flooding.
He noted that rainfall so far this month has been double the average, stating: “Flooding is certainly the major risk I can see over the coming weeks.”
Fleming added that the South and East of the country were particularly likely to be affected.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny wasn’t at the event, but released a video about the ‘Be Winter Ready’ campaign.
At the launch, Junior Environment Minister Paudie Coffey said that local authorities had plans in place to help homeless people during periods harsh weather conditions.
He noted that Environment minister Alan Kelly was chairing a working group committee with Dublin City Council to address acute homelessness and emergency responses in severe weather in the capital.
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Well that pretty much confirms it, there’ll be no snow this winter.
Most flooding this time is caused by leaves. my whole road on my estate was flooded a few weeks ago and it took me 5 mins to clear the leaves , people really have forgotten how to think for themselves.
What we need are sponges. Millions of them.
They should be stocking up on grit rather then salt. Salt reeks havoc on cars,accelarating the spread of rust. But I suppose the government view that as a plus, because it will lead to more NCT failures.
the “salt” is normally a mixture, salt (Sodium chloride) mixed with sand and gravel. The sloppy wet snow we get in Ireland means most of it is washed off the car with minimal corrosion
Everyone wants to blame the government for flooding but there are limits to what they can do in a lot of cases. If you look at a lot of housing estates the vast majority have paved over the front garden for parking for two or three cars or they have a van for a business. A small front garden can hold a huge amount of water and slowly release it into the groundwater, now it just runs off into the sewage system. It simply can’t cope with more than it was ever designed for.
What do you do with 1970′s estates which are flash flooding in very heavy rains? Make everyone have a front garden again? Rip up the entire estate to install more drains and bigger pipes?
My back garden this morning was a swimming pool. It not paved or concrete its a water logged bog. That the dog loves digging up and swimming in :/ at least she is happy.
The issue was building on flood planes forcing water to flood elsewhere or still it still floods on the flood plane where houses and businesses are located.
Sure that could be the issue but I think it’s vastly exaggerated. We haven’t actually built in floodplanes much in Ireland for the last 50 years. They did in the UK due to greenbelts and the shortage of zoned land but no so much in Ireland. It’s mostly because we covered everything in concrete in the last 25 years.
What kind of soil in your back garden, drained properly, excessive root layer on the grass? It could be your house is in a floodplane but it’s unlikely. I though Irish people were still supposed to be able to judge good soil?
Im high up. It would have to flood at least 9 metres to reach my house :)
Though housing estates down the road from me were built on flood planes some 8-15 years ago. None of them can get flood protection on thier house insurance.
So, all that salt get’s washed into rivers? Something tells me that’s not quite good..
As long as it doesn’t end up in the sea.
Last 2 bad winters I had winter tyres on the car. They didn’t salt the road for weeks. It was great you would barely have know it was snow on the road barely slid once compared to normal summer tyres were you are grateful you got round the corner. I live up a hill in the north west so the tyres are more use than you think
It’s only when we need it they don’t have it
Great, are cars will be destroyed by rust in a couple years
The best solution to snow is free. If some people would slow down and drive within their capabilities it’d be a good start … come to think of it, that applies when there’s no snow too!
the good news is that business men who are friendly with the government parties will be paid well for storing this salt that we wont use.
Well I hope it’s better than the formulation they used last time, which promptly dissolved cars.
Great…
Hreat….now they won’t have the proper vehicles to distribute it….or not enough of them
have your say