Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I would like to begin by recognising the dramatic impact on people's lives, the destruction of homes and property, the impact on businesses and indeed the loss of life that Storm Éowyn has caused. Storm Éowyn was an exceptional weather event, breaking all-time wind-speed records and causing unprecedented damage to our critical infrastructure and disruption for the second time in two months. I commend Met Éireann and the national emergency co-ordination group on their clear advance warnings, which undoubtedly saved lives. This shows that the State's crisis response system works and we must acknowledge that. Warnings, however, are only one part of the solution. As extreme weather events become more frequent and destructive due to climate change, we need to strengthen our emergency services and resource those who repair critical infrastructure to respond rapidly and effectively. The delays in restoring power, water and broadband, especially in the west, highlight the need for greater preparedness, planning and investment.

Climate action is not just about reducing emissions. It is also about adaptation, building resilient infrastructure that can withstand future storms. Better planning by local councils, the OPW and semi-States like Coillte can make a real difference. Continuing to retrofit and insulate buildings will make our homes more resilient during outages. We also need stronger community support systems. The community hub structure after Storm Éowyn was varied and inconsistent, though necessary. Other countries have provided temporary housing and compensation for those left without power, measures that we can and should consider if we want to protect those most vulnerable during events like this in the future. We will see more events like Éowyn. We need to be better prepared for their aftermath. The Government must set out what it has learned from this storm and how it will better serve communities the next time.

See this speech in context