Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

My colleagues will outline some examples of experiences they have had in their constituencies in dealing with these matters. This crisis began last Wednesday, when gales, torrential rain and thunderstorms caused flooding in the west, with the River Corrib and it tributaries bursting banks in several parts of Galway city and county. Continued torrential rain throughout Thursday day and evening caused some of the worst flooding in living memory throughout the country but specifically in Cork city and county, Tipperary, Galway, Clare, Kilkenny, Carlow and Kerry. In Carlow, it could have been avoided if the implementation of the flood relief scheme had gone ahead when it was third on the list in 1995.

The flooding in Cork city, which I visited last Saturday, was made worse when the ESB released water from the Inniscarra dam on Thursday, which caused the River Lee to burst its banks. By 11.30 p.m. the western suburbs were under several feet of water; all bridges from Inniscarra to the city were closed and extensive damage had been caused to UCC, with all lectures cancelled and valuable paintings being threatened. During the course of my visit, I saw businesses and households still under water and quays and bridges structurally threatened. Motor cars which had been parked in areas not normally flooded were still there. If sufficient warning had been given, I doubt they would have been parked there.

I checked the rainfall pattern to establish whether this was an 800-year event and I discovered that the cumulative rainfall to 20 November at Cork Airport station was 190 mm. The entire rainfall for the month of October at the same station was 205 mm. The greatest ever monthly figure recorded at that station was 790 mm in October 2006. There is no 800-year event. This is an event that no weather could explain. The dam was overloaded in Inniscarra and the question must be asked as to why.

An independent assessment should be carried out between the ESB and the local authorities to find out what happened. There was no flood monitoring stations in the Lee valley. There are no physical markers to show where the flood levels are in the Lee valley. The people working at and in charge of the Inniscarra dam had no idea of how high the water level would rise because of the absence of these markers. These issues must be examined and I hope we will have an opportunity to do so, perhaps through the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. I would prefer to see the Minister appointing an officer to independently examine these matters rather than relying on reports from local authorities and the ESB.

The situation is further complicated by media reports today that the ESB was warned in three separate reports that the two strategic reservoirs in Cork might not be able to cope with extreme water volumes.

According to the media, the ESB was warned in three separate reports that the two strategic reservoirs in Cork might not be able to cope with extreme water volumes. Media sources claim that over the past eight years the reports raised issues about water management along the Lee valley in an extreme weather event, including the capacity of the two lakes above the dam to cope with a large inflow of water. We had a false sense of security. Is the Government in possession of these reports and can we see copies of them?

My preference is for the Minister of State to appoint an authorised officer to examine these matters on an independent basis and I will be asking the Joint Committee on the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to ask those involved for an explanation. Cork's local authorities had no stocks of water or sandbags when the flood occurred. Culpability can be assigned in respect of these matters.

In response to severe flooding in September 2006, the OPW admitted that it did not have a national co-ordination plan and that the precautions in response to flooding risks were up to individual authorities. Since then, the Government has concentrated on developing flood risk maps for the benefit of planning authorities in response to an EU floods directive adopted in 2007. However, it has been deficient in providing an early warning system for floods. Damage amounting to millions of euro could have been avoided if a proper alert system had been put in place. Businesses have lost their Christmas stock, thousands of cars are on their way to the scrap heap, sentimental valuables have been destroyed and farming communities face enormous problems in terms of feeding their stock.

The Government lacks an advanced monitoring system and cannot provide flood warnings to home owners and businesses. The Government's flood website, www.flooding.ie, states: "Checking to see if water levels in the nearby river, lake or estuary are rising or starting to flood can show if a flood might happen, but be careful not to go into the water, as it may be deeper than you think." We can do better than that. The environmental agencies in England and Wales operate a warning system in areas at risk of flooding from rivers or the sea. Staff use the latest available technology to monitor rainfall, river levels and sea conditions 24 hours a day in order to forecast the possibility of flooding. Warnings are issued using a set of four easily recognisable codes. Alerts are made through a variety of methods, including the agencies' websites and the media. They do not exclusively rely on websites. In areas which are particularly at risk warning messages can be sent directly to people by telephone, text, e-mail or pager. Several hundred messages can be sent simultaneously. They aim to give two hours notice of flooding, day or night, so that people can take the necessary preventative measures.

We are in a unique situation in that the volume of rainfall has surpassed by far anything experienced in the past. Ireland would be better served by a new alert system and I hope the Government can give us a commitment in that regard.

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