Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The south west of Ireland has experienced hurricane force winds today. Schools in the region should not have remained open given that a code red alert had been issued. In Shannon the schools have closed and children have been sent home. Their parents have had to collect them. In one area a row of mature poplars was ripped out of the ground.

A single Department needs to be made responsible for making decisions on funding applications and, if they have to be moved to other Departments to get funding, that is the way it should be. I ask the Minister of State to explain how councils and other groups around the country can access funding. I had a discussion with my local mayor on how funding can be accessed. I do not think the Government can provide enough funding to solve all the problems but it will have to deal with the major ones. We cannot deal with many of the problems until the storms are gone. Limerick has flooded again today and I am sure the entire west coast is getting walloped. Roads that had been cleared of water are now flooded again. If the works had already been done, they might have been swept away. People will have to be patient. The danger to life should be our first concern, domestic residents come second, industry comes third and farmland comes last. All of us are getting calls from our colleagues in the county councils. We will have to develop a long-term solution for our coastal areas, even if that means we must suffer through another winter.

I saw water coming over the wall at the lagoon beside Shannon Airport. I have lived in the area for 35 years but I never saw water coming within 3 ft. of that wall, let alone come over the top.

That tells us where we are. Shannon is 6 ft. below sea level and we have 15 pumps going all day everyday all year round. The areas need to be protected and if there is a breach in the banks of the Shannon, the whole town gets flooded rather than just one area. It is all 4 ft., 5 ft. or 6 ft. below sea level. I have seen the estimates coming in from the councils. I do not know how they come up with the estimates they submit. We must get clear costings on what the projects cost and start with the major ones we can deal with now. Flood barriers in Limerick are an absolute priority because there is a danger to people in their homes. The situation in Cork is the same. We can deal with those first and deal with other cases afterwards. People must be patient.

Perhaps the Minister of State can outline the approach and who should make the call when there is a code red alert. If UCC students have been told to stay in the building because of flying debris and parents must pick up children sent home from schools, there is a danger to life. There must be a decision taken to close the schools in those areas. I rang my son a while ago for a damage report on our house, our area and our business and he thinks the winds are 130 mph or 140 mph. He has never seen anything like it. The trees were at a 45 degree angle for two or three hours. I do not know what the wind speed was but it is pretty serious.