Is anyone responsible ? Should heads roll ? Poll

Morlar

The way I see this article here SOMEONE is to blame here :

http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1215/flooding.html

1,000 Dublin properties flooded in October

Updated: 14:05, Thursday, 15 December 2011


Over 1,000 properties were flooded in the Dublin city area during last October's ''Monster Rain'' event, according to a council report.

The floods - which resulted in the deaths of two people - affected mainly the city, south Dublin and Wicklow.

In the city area 1,008 properties were flooded, there were also 318 "significant" road floodings and "several thousand" reports of minor road flooding.

The council report for the Environment Committee says that the OPW are to report on the possibility of works on the Camac river, which caused flooding in Kilmainham, and the Poddle river which hit Crumlin.

It says central funding will be requested to deal with underground rivers such as the Swan which caused flooding in Ballsbridge, the River Bradogue in Cabra and the River Naniken in Raheny.

The report points out that there are no problems with the Tolka and lower reaches of the Dodder rivers, where works have been completed.

The council says community action through Flood Resilience Groups is the best way to identify and deal with flooding problems.

The report states that up to 90mm of rain fell during the six hours on the evening of 24 October - that is more than four times the level associated with the country's heaviest rainfall.

It stated that the drainage system was overwhelmed and gullies could not be cleared until waters subsided.

"The evidence of this could be seen by the number of manhole covers which were lifted from their frames under the pressure of water from underneath.

''The sheer volume of rainwater falling on paved areas swept all debris including leaves into the roadways and in turn into the gullies", according to assistant city manager Seamus Lyons.

The report also states that sandbags are effective only when put at strategic locations and cannot be distributed to individual households or businesses.

The report also admits that there was a half hour delay in closing two flood gates on the River Dodder because staff could not find the keys.

In relation to the outrageous "half hour delay in closing two flood gates on the River Dodder because staff could not find the keys." Here are a few options;

Managers not ensuring Staff were adequately trained.

Staff for not being competent enough to know how to do their job.

The person who last secured/maintained the keys or access to them.

The last person to use them.

Etc.

In my view someone is responsible and should be held accountable.

The reasons for this are (aside from the natural justice side of things) is that it will help ensure that people become aware of consequences and take additional care in future in the knowledge that there are consequences to not doing things properly.

I am curious -

Does anyone think that this will happen in this case, or, are we so worn out at this stage with people getting away with incompetence that the expectation of the system working is just not there anymore ?

I also find it odd that there is no information from the journalists on what extent of damage was likely caused by the 30 minute delay in opening the floodgates.

4zn76tysfajdxp

You went a bit mad on the formatting there.

chin_grin

My glasses, they do naaathing!

MagicSean

So you want someone to take the blame but don't care who. Blame god.

dr.bollocko

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people are satisfied with answers to tricky questions once those answers involve scapegoats.

DrumSteve

not sure what good it'll do to be honest.

Snakeblood

I've lined my trousers with sand. Let's see those floods get me now.

FatherLen

I don't think anyone should be blamed for that. no one could have predicted such a heavy rainfall in such a short period.

if there was an earthquake tomorrow would you be looking to blame someone because we haven't prepared for one?

seamus

Morlar wrote: »

I also find it odd that there is no information from the journalists on what extent of damage was likely caused by the 30 minute delay in opening the floodgates.

If any.

So basically you have no idea if anyone has actually done anything wrong, but you want heads to roll anyway?

4zn76tysfajdxp

dr.b's right. It was the escaped goats.

Where To

Let's all get angry :mad:





















That's better

Plazaman

Am I right in saying that "Keys" to flood gates are similar to keys to a canal lock and are bigger than a tyre iron. They're certainly not something you lose down the back of the couch or leave in another jacket.

Still, stranger things happen....... *

* I really must start reading proper news articles

ejmaztec

Rayna Narrow Stint wrote: »

dr.b's right. It was the escaped goats.

Them and their bleating on about nothing.

Chuck Stone

How big an impact on the volume of water that flooded the houses was the half hour?

Fear Uladh

Chuck Stone wrote: »

How big an impact on the volume of water that flooded the houses was the half hour?

Big.

I was in my Apartment(Kilmainham) from 6.00 until I was evacuated at 9.30.

From 6 until about seven, it was clear as a bell, all of a sudden the flooding went from bad to worse within an hour. It was 9 and the entire bottom half of my apartment block was completely flooded. I was very lucky not to have been on the ground floor as everything was destroyed. Not only that but many old people live in old Kilmainham in those tiny hoses, all you can see is flood damaged property lined up on the street.

People on this thread will gladly say "I don't care" or whatever, but it was quite devastating for a lot of people and it makes me angry that some of it may have been preventable.

reprazant

How often do the flood gates get closed?

Are the closed regularly or was this the first time in a long time that they were needed?

If this is the first time in over a decade that they needed to be closed, I can easily understand there being a delay.

I am sure that the OP has this information though, as he is insistent that people get sacked.

Morlar

dr.bollocko wrote: »

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly people are satisfied with answers to tricky questions once those answers involve scapegoats.

My take on it is that SOMONE is responsible for the fact that council workers delayed opening the floodgates by 30 minutes as they could not find the keys.

That someone at this point I can not identify.

That doesn't change the fact that SOMONE is responsible for that fcuk up and in my view should be held accountable.

If that was your brand new car wiped out because your apartment complex flooded, and you were pretty sure that that 30 minute delay probably cost you your car (which insurance will not cover), do you think you might have a different viewpoint on the principle of accountability as it relates to this 30 min delay ?

Morlar

Fear Uladh wrote: »

Big.

I was in my Apartment(Kilmainham) from 6.00 until I was evacuated at 9.30.

From 6 until about seven, it was clear as a bell, all of a sudden the flooding went from bad to worse within an hour. It was 9 and the entire bottom half of my apartment block was completely flooded. I was very lucky not to have been on the ground floor as everything was destroyed. Not only that but many old people live in old Kilmainham in those tiny hoses, all you can see is flood damaged property lined up on the street.

People on this thread will gladly say "I don't care" or whatever, but it was quite devastating for a lot of people and it makes me angry that some of it may have been preventable.

That is exactly my point. I'd think the media should take more of an interest in this, investigating the potential amount of damage which this ridiculous 30 minute delay caused. The only way anyone will pay for this is if they are hit by lightning. The same half-arsed attitude that caused this 30 min delay and the resultant additional damage will continue in an atmosphere of zero actual accountability (in my view).

Fear Uladh

Morlar wrote: »

That is exactly my point. I'd think the media should take more of an interest in this, investigating the potential amount of damage which this ridiculous 30 minute delay caused. The only way anyone will pay for this is if they are hit by lightning. The same half-arsed attitude that caused this 30 min delay and the resultant additional damage will continue in an atmosphere of zero actual accountability (in my view).

Not only that, but the properties are worthless.

What I was disappointed about was that all the fire services did was evacuate when it got fairly bad, then left everyone to fend for themselves! What if they had nowhere else to go?!

The whole thing was a shambles.

Morlar

Fear Uladh wrote: »

Not only that, but the properties are worthless.

What I was disappointed about was that all the fire services did was evacuate when it got fairly bad, then left everyone to fend for themselves! What if they had nowhere else to go?!

The whole thing was a shambles.

Not to worry, I am sure everything will be so much better next time.

Fear Uladh

Morlar wrote: »

Not to worry, I am sure everything will be so much wetter next time.

FYP. :pac:

red menace

Not every disaster is preventable and there is no proof that 30 minutes would have saved anything.
Maybe closing the floodgates 30 minutes sooner would have pushed the water into another area no body knows for sure.
Instead of blaming people why not look at what happened and try to develop a new plan with better backups and failsafes.

Unsinnig

This is the nanny state. We all have a billion and seven human rights, and don't have to worry about any responsibility. Didn't you get the memo?

al28283

The answers in the poll are don't match up to the question