bad weather,lucky government

ivabiggon

it's as well the the bad weather arrived this week when all the emergency services are working.....and not on the day of the 24hr day of action.
or maybe it will???:rolleyes::eek:

Cork_Rebel

Does the emergency management agency not play a role in organising resources nationwide, seems to be every county just trying to organise its own response.

There must be a lot more agencies and personnel could be utilsed and managed nationwide like FCA, First Aid Volunteers etc at the early warning stage.

ivabiggon

well i suppose if an emergency was declared by the government for that area. but if they do that they have to foot the bill with flood relief fund... but i don't think they'll do that.
having said that... the red cross do have financial assistance for homes and businesses in circumstances.

Cork_Rebel

That is daft but no doubt true.

By the sounds of it next few days will see a repeat with more heavy rain in already flooded areas. What kind of preparations are in place? There should be more planning with everything from local communities resources identifed and stood by to national resources if needed.

Flood water is a dangerous place and sadly it looks like in the UK they've lost a police officer as a result.

Cork_Rebel

The UK seem to have got their act together, they have RNLI/ Coastguard/ Mountain Rescue teams/ Civil Defence/ Army all deployed. We should be looking at a similiar approach here and having more skilled teams on the ground.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Floods-RAF-Helicopters-Rescue-Stranded-People-In-Cockermouth-Cumbria-Police-Officer-Missing/Article/200911315458572?lpos=UK_News_Carousel_Region_0&lid=ARTICLE_15458572_Floods%3A_RAF_Helicopters_Rescue_Stranded_People_In_Cockermouth%2C_Cumbria%2C_Police_Officer_Missing

deadwood

A big thank you to the County Council workers, I must add. They've been slogging away tirelessly through all this. They get little or no recognition for their contribution.

Thanks lads and keep up the good work.

To those that are working in flooded areas or just in them be careful.

Body found in Cumbria flood is missing Pc, say police

The body of a man found after a bridge collapsed over a flooded river is Pc Bill Barker, police have confirmed.

Pc Barker, 44, was directing motorists off the bridge in Workington "saving lives" when it caved in as Cumbria was hit by record rainfall, police said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown described him as a "very heroic, very brave man".

In Cockermouth, where water levels reached 2.5m (8ft 2in), more than 200 people were rescued by emergency services - 50 by RAF helicopters.

The Environment Agency said the scale of the flooding was unprecedented.
Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Graham said both the flooding and the incident involving Pc Barker had left him "devastated".

He said the constable, a father of four whose 45th birthday was on Saturday, was a roads policing officer in Workington.

Pc Barker's wife Hazel said her husband was "my best friend, my forever friend, and an amazing dad".

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said: "I was extremely saddened to hear of the death of Pc Barker. We owe a debt of gratitude to him for his courage and determination in seeking to help local people in these exceptionally difficult circumstances."

RNLI lifeboat operations manager Captain Brian Ashbridge said there was a "massive current" travelling down the Derwent, making conditions for the searchers "very challenging".

...

Link

cushtac

Cork_Rebel wrote: »

The UK seem to have got their act together, they have RNLI/ Coastguard/ Mountain Rescue teams/ Civil Defence/ Army all deployed. We should be looking at a similiar approach here and having more skilled teams on the ground.

Coast Guard, Army & Civil Defence are already involved in flood relief here and have been since the beginning.

Leo Demidov

cushtac wrote: »

Coast Guard, Army & Civil Defence are already involved in flood relief here and have been since the beginning.

Not all possible resources are deployed or even on standby, you'd imagine it should be battle stations all round.

maglite

Every resource I know of is on standby in cork.

Leo Demidov

East coast is quiet enough.

Sierra Oscar

wexfjord wrote: »

Not all possible resources are deployed or even on standby, you'd imagine it should be battle stations all round.

I think Civil Defence units are pretty much on standby all over the country from what I understand . . .

In any case, not all of the country is experiencing flooding issues at the moment.

Leo Demidov

Have a look at the unofficial cd website, theyre all sitting at home on their laptops.

http://www.irishcivildefence.org/forums/

wexfjord

wexfjord wrote: »

Have a look at the unofficial cd website, theyre all sitting at home on their laptops.

http://www.irishcivildefence.org/forums/

Oi! watch it! I'm about to head out the door myself for the 3rd day! :mad:

Leo Demidov

Deleted User wrote: »

Oi! watch it! I'm about to head out the door myself for the 3rd day! :mad:

Need a hand. Point being made is that there are plenty of resources and personnel lying idle. Its a waste as it does not allow us as an organisation to show what we are truly capable of on a national scale.

Sierra Oscar

wexfjord wrote: »

Need a hand. Point being made is that there are plenty of resources and personnel lying idle. Its a waste as it does not allow us as an organisation to show what we are truly capable of on a national scale.

If you think about it, what's the use sending down all of Dublin Civil Defence for example, if the Dublin region itself is still at risk of flooding? There have to be enough units in place to deal with issues that may arise in the units locality.

Slideshowbob

Sure Cowen has more important things to be doing like canvassing for a soccer match replay ;-) :D

Cork_Rebel

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/news/aa-sort-team-flat-out-in-flood-hit-cumbria.html

Interesting in the UK the AA have a water rescue unit as do the RSPCA.

Leo Demidov

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

If you think about it, what's the use sending down all of Dublin Civil Defence for example, if the Dublin region itself is still at risk of flooding? There have to be enough units in place to deal with issues that may arise in the units locality.

To be fair i dont think i said anything about moblisinig the entirity of any county. I agree with the second part of your statement.

Leo Demidov

The following was posted on CD website and while all volunteers need to be acknowledged for their effort, it doesnt say much for the organisation as a whole that they were only willing to mobile members on a local basis. Dublin CD were in a position to offer 80 heads, most other counties could have easily matched this between them which would have doubled the workforce. A problem shared is a problem halved.

Well done to all who helped and were willing to help.


"Civil Defence was mobilised in significant numbers since Wednesday 18th November in fifteen separate local authority areas to assist with flood relief following significant rainfall.

In Galway, 40 Civil Defence volunteers were activated on Thursday 19th November. Civil Defence has been involved in the sandbagging of houses in Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Craughwell. On Thursday 19th November, 25 people were evacuated, by boat from a housing estate in Ballinasloe. On Friday 20th November, a further 8 people were evacuated, by boat from houses in Ballinasloe. Two minibuses, three jeeps, one transit van, one pick-up and two kayaks have been utilised during the operation, to date. Additional small boats were made available from the Army Barracks in Athlone to help with evacuation efforts. Flood relief efforts have commenced in Portumna since Monday morning.

In Cork City, 24 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in the evacuation of people, assisted in the lowering of water levels from the Water Treatment site with the use of two water pumps, and provided refreshments to the emergency service on duty since Thursday 19th November.

In Cork North, 3 Civil Defence volunteers, 1 boat and 1 jeep were dispatched to assist in the Cork City flood relief efforts.

In Cork West, 20 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in sandbagging in the Skibereen area since Thursday 19th November.

In Carlow 11 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in the transportation of evacuees to safety over a 24 hour period from Thursday 19th to Friday 20th November. Flood waters have risen over the weekend and relief efforts are ongoing.

In Clare 15 Civil Defence volunteers were involved in sandbagging from 11 pm to 7am on Wednesday18th/Thursday 19th November. 25 volunteers who have been on duty since Thursday morning 19th November have assisted in the evacuation of 32 people, by boat, from a housing estate in Ennis, and transported the evacuees to the West County Hotel. The pumping of water from houses in Willow Park, Ennis is ongoing. Civil Defence has participated in Crisis Management meetings with the Fire Service, Gardaí and the Local Authority at regular intervals.

In Laois 15 volunteers were activated on Thursday 18th November on sandbagging duties in the Mountmellick area after the River Barrow burst its banks. A boat crew was sent to Carlow on Friday 19th November to assist and relieve the Carlow crew.

In Kildare, 20 volunteers have been active since Thursday 19th November pumping water and evacuating people from a housing estate (60 houses affected) in Athy. On Monday morning, 23rd November the River Barrow burst its banks in Athy and Civil Defence has commenced sandbagging and has launched a boat to assist in the evacuation of people from the worst affected areas of the town.

In South Tipperary, 30 volunteers have been active in Clonmel since Thursday 19th November, evacuating people from homes by boat (2 boat crews on duty), transporting people to safety (2-4WD crews) and sandbagging houses. A welfare crew of five volunteers have also been on duty.

In Kerry, an average of 20 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in the filling of sandbags (4 sandhoppers in operation), deployment of sandbags to homes, towing of vehicles from floods, transportation of people to safety and assistance to the Gardaí with traffic control. An additional 4 volunteers have provided refreshments to the emergency services.

In Leitrim, 6 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in the collection and delivery of sandbags, examination of flood areas for the County Manager, transportation of the Crisis Management Team to worst affected areas by 4WD, assistance to stranded motorists and transportation of pedestrians through flood waters.

In Monaghan, a Civil Defence boat crew assisted the Fire Service in the evacuation of a family from their flooded home.

In Roscommon, 25 Civil Defence volunteers have been involved in the evacuation of nursing homes, transportation of people to accommodation centre and provision of refreshments to emergency services on duty.

In Waterford County, 3 Civil Defence 4WD vehicles and 6 Civil Defence volunteers were dispatched to check on elderly people isolated from the rising floodaters.

This level of activity demonstrates the capability of Civil Defence to deploy significant skilled resources to assist communities in the event of a major emergency and shows the ongoing commitment of volunteers to serving their communities"