Response to severe weather 'better' than in other EU states

IRISH AUTHORITIES coped better with the effects of this year’s severe winter weather than those of many other European countries, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said.

Local authorities and other services involved in dealing with the floods, ice and snow “deserved to be commended” for their work, Mr Gormley told an Oireachtas environment committee yesterday.

Most national roads and other strategic and public transport routes were kept open for traffic during the severe weather and food and fuel supplies were maintained, he said. Public transport systems continued to function, as did emergency services and hospitals. This compared favourably with the experience of other countries, he added.

“We had more salt available than our nearest neighbours in the UK . . . They had six days’ supply of salt, whereas we had 10 days’ supply . . . Unlike other countries, we kept our primary roads free.”

A review of the emergency response co-ordination to the floods and the snow was under way and would report by the end of the year. However, he said the fact that there was unprecedented rainfall had to be appreciated.

“There are times that no matter what you put in place, there will be flooding.”

He added that no homeless people had died from exposure, which was not the case in other countries.

Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer said that there had been little or no warning of the floods for the residents of Cork city, many of whom had not been able to return to their homes since November’s floods.

“There was no preparedness by Government . . . Minister Dempsey went awol. He was in a subtropical heat while we were below freezing . . . This was about leadership from Government, and it wasn’t pretty good.”