Emergency Response Committee

[Macy]

I'd just like to congratulate the Governments Emergency Response Committee on the magnificent work they are doing.

Ignoring the fact that it took snow to hit Dublin before they set up, we've had the schools debacle, twice in two days (Tuesday night and then this morning) total mayhem in the greater Dublin area due to them not having the gritters out in time and continuing attempts to blame water shortages on people leaving the tap running.

It's "success" pretty much sums up this Governments handling of every crisis it's had to handle to date - Denial that delays a response followed by farce

[dahamsta]

I could only laugh at the spokesman on the radio yesterday, he was basically a weather announcer.

[Macy]

I'm willing to give them a bit of leeway on Tuesday evening on them not being totally on the ball as it wasn't forecast (despite met.ie changing it's forecast in the evening to make it look like they had) but they should've got things moving quicker once it was clear it was snowing and sticking. However, having the N11 (from Gorey to the City Centre), M11, N81 and the M50 basically impassable this morning due to ice is inexcusable. Gormless still tries to claim they've had all national routes working normal.

I don't know about other routes - I was listening to East Coast FM, as AA Roadwatch haven't bothered covering Wicklow for about 2 weeks at this stage - but were all the other routes into Dublin were similar? What about the rest of the country?

[dahamsta]

It's just damp in Cork. Foggy.

[thischarmingman]

You forgot the fact that certain councils used fertiliser to get rid of the snow and now have to test the water to see if it is fit for drinking.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/drinking-water-tested-as-fertiliser-used-to-melt-ice-2012979.html

[Mr A]

Not sure if it's under this committee's remit, but Dempsey says there won't be any extra money for road repairs.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0114/breaking60.htm

I know a guy who's a roads engineer and he told me that they had already spent much of their budget for the year on gritting etc and there'd be very little left for repairs. They obviously set aside money for frost and the like but the exceptional weather combined with reduced budgets means there'll be little they can do.

Also, interesting to see that some local authorities spread **** on the roads and only now are wondering if it might get into water supplies.

[dahamsta]

The roads are absolutely destroyed in east Cork.

Typical from Fianna Fail again, they can't finish the roads at the height of a boom so the work they've done just falls apart as soon as we run into trouble. They really don't understand anything other than short term.

[Fr Damo]

The roads are absolutely destroyed in east Cork.

Typical from Fianna Fail again, they can't finish the roads at the height of a boom so the work they've done just falls apart as soon as we run into trouble. They really don't understand anything other than short term.

Roads are local authority, come out of the roads budget per the council's estimates. Funding of course comes through central Government and we know this and two previous Fianna Fail governments have pi$$ed that funding up the flag pole. We are seriously screwed as there simply isn't the cash to resurface the roads you mentioned so it's back to chippings and tar patching, short term solutions. I rememember the 80s well!

Water supplies in the Dublin region are going to take 3-4 months to come back on line I hear, the mains were laid 100 - 150 years ago and understand many are broken/cracked. I really feel sorry for people who have suffered with no water, some for three weeks now. It's a disgrace. Where the cash is going to come from to recify water and roads infrastructure is the $64k question. The thing is with themultiplier effect these upgrdes might actually spin off in the economy and would certainly help the construction industry (lots of cheap labour now + idle plant and equipment available at lower rates)
There are jobs on the line now at places like Batcelor Foods.

I saw something today that to me sums up the planning and co ordination, travelling west bound on the M6 motorway I passed a NRA (or motorway maintance operator gritter) travelling west spreading grit etc. One mile further up, Westmeath Co Co Gritter was joining the motorway doing the same thing. Had been in Dublin earlier in the morning, bumper to bumper cos the roads were poor and not a sign of one.

[mypost]

I'd just like to congratulate the Governments Emergency Response Committee on the magnificent work they are doing.

Ignoring the fact that it took snow to hit Dublin before they set up, we've had the schools debacle, twice in two days (Tuesday night and then this morning) total mayhem in the greater Dublin area due to them not having the gritters out in time and continuing attempts to blame water shortages on people leaving the tap running.

It's "success" pretty much sums up this Governments handling of every crisis it's had to handle to date - Denial that delays a response followed by farce

Now that the weather has abated, I think it's time we took stock of how we as a nation, handled the crisis. Unfortunately, we don't come out of it too well.

We realised that the Emergency Response Committee only react once one part of the country, namely Dublin, is affected. We learned that Dublin Bus need merely an ungritted side road in order to pull all services. We learned that despite getting snow on an annual basis, we have no snow ploughs, we have a severe shortage of salt, and grit. Despite 3 weeks of rain, sleet, and snow on a daily basis in a country surrounded by sea, we have a water shortage. We also found out that Ministers can on a whim, sun themselves while the nation shivers. "I'm entitled to take a holiday"* Schools, workplaces, sports events, airports, essential services cannot deal with a mild fall of snow in a country located in Northern Europe.

One can foresee a Sellafield explosion, threatening lives, and livelihoods in our EU Province, and the Environment Minister on a sun lounger in the Algarve, demanding his entitlement to a holiday. :D :rolleyes: The fact is, we can't handle a national crisis, god help us in an emergency.

*He needs another holiday to compliment the 200-day holiday in his current job. There's only so many 3-day weeks a healthy working man can take.

[John83]

I learned that people react hysterically when extremely aberrant weather conditions haven't been meticulously planned for.

I can envisage a post in a few years' time, criticising the stupid amounts of money which are being wasted on storing twice as much grit as we've ever needed to use, the redundant local and national levels of flood co-ordination (more civil servants we don't need) and decrying the money being put into Dublin's water infrastructure, as it doesn't need it and sure doesn't all the money go to Dublin anyway.

Because, hey, if there are two things we do well, it's bolting the stable door after the horse is gone, and bitching about the need for a stable anyway.

[Macy]

It's an efficient reaction people want. Week 4 of the cold weather and the response was pathetic yesterday. People being apologists for the response just shows why we have no accountability in this state.

[Fr Damo]

I learned that people react hysterically when extremely aberrant weather conditions haven't been meticulously planned for.

I can envisage a post in a few years' time, criticising the stupid amounts of money which are being wasted on storing twice as much grit as we've ever needed to use, the redundant local and national levels of flood co-ordination (more civil servants we don't need) and decrying the money being put into Dublin's water infrastructure, as it doesn't need it and sure doesn't all the money go to Dublin anyway.

Because, hey, if there are two things we do well, it's bolting the stable door after the horse is gone, and bitching about the need for a stable anyway.

Northern Ireland usually buy 50,000 Tonnes of Rock Salt pa. We budget for... wait for it..... 55,000 Tonnes. 10% more with about 4 times the land mass! I Remember the 80s and 90s when buying second hand cars from England was advised against cos the were rusty after roads being treated with salt and of course we didn't cos we hadn't the cash by and large.(now of course cars are galvanised against it).

It's not as if we don't have skills or knowledge, have a look at the link below.
http://www.romaquip.com/news.article.102.htm

[Bluebeard]

Where the cash is going to come from to recify water and roads infrastructure is the $64k question.

Well, if they stopped offering stupid sums of money to the general public to come up with answers to important questions, that should generate €44,390.59 per question, depending on currency fluctuations.

Can I have the cheque made out to Cash?

[peadar1987]

The Wicklow border was unreal, the roads in Shankill were iced over completely, and the pavements were lethal, but everyhing was fine once you moved out of DLR and into a county where they know how to deal with a bit of snow!