Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As chairman of the Government's task force on emergency planning, I am delighted to brief Senators on the Be Winter-Ready campaign. The campaign is now an established annual event intended to give the public advice on the particular challenges the winter period can present. It also informs members of the public where they can source information on how to help themselves and others and highlights the whole-of-government approach being taken to winter preparations.

As Senators are well aware, the Be Winter-Ready campaign focuses on flooding and safe driving. The Office of Emergency Planning, in collaboration with the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the Road Safety Authority, has designed and produced a leaflet on each aspect. The leaflets are distributed manually and available on the website winterready.ie. This is the sixth iteration of the Be Winter-Ready campaign, the focus of previous campaigns being on areas such as schools and farm families.

A meeting of the Government's task force on emergency planning took place on 9 November. It was dedicated to winter preparedness and immediately followed by the Be Winter-Ready campaign launch. At the meeting a comprehensive briefing by all relevant Departments and agencies was received. As Senators may be aware, the role of the Government's task force on emergency planning is to support co-ordination across Government services in preparing for emergencies. This year's campaign launch further strengthened the co-ordinated approach taken in recent years. I am committed to continuing this approach to building national resilience during the winter in general but especially during severe weather events that may occur.

The Be Winter-Ready campaign provides an opportunity for all relevant Departments and agencies, with transport operators, utilities and other services, to come together to inform on the work being undertaken in their areas. This collective approach provides an opportunity for the sharing of advice and information on our collective preparedness for the winter months and how the public can access and avail of this information. The launch of the Be Winter-Ready campaign marks the start of what can be a very demanding time for many, including the emergency services. It also gives us an opportunity to take stock and reflect on the steps we can take to prepare for the challenges of wintertime.

We can all recall the prolonged period of severe cold weather that occurred in the winters of 2009 and 2010. They were two of the coldest spells in recent weather history. Last year we had 189% of normal rainfall, making it the wettest ever recorded.Drawing on our experience of such events over previous years and on the lessons learned, central and local government are now better prepared and ready to respond to incidents of severe weather. Emergency plans are in place and are regularly updated and exercised, simulating a range of weather-related scenarios.

The Be Winter-Ready campaign is but one element of a significant body of work that takes place in preparation for winter. Within my own Department, Civil Defence and the Defence Forces are equipped, trained and regularly exercised to the highest levels to be able to provide support to the civil authorities, when required. All local authorities have major emergency plans in place that include provisions for severe weather. During recent severe weather incidents the co-ordination structures and procedures in these plans were used extensively. Most emergency situations, including severe weather events, are responded to and managed locally or regionally. Where such weather events require a national response, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government leads the national level co-ordination to bring whole-of-Government support to bear. The fact that this national level co-ordination commenced in advance of Storm Desmond, which occurred on 4 December, and met over 30 times, ensured a speedy response when flooding occurred.

I will not go into the details of last year’s flooding and the lessons learned as this is covered very comprehensively by the Report on Winter Flooding - 4 December 2015 to 13 January 2016 compiled by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and published on its website. Reports such as this are crucial to the continued development of our capability and capacity in this area. They inform our decision making and ensure that we are well prepared at both a national and local level. However, we can never become complacent. We need to continue planning, training and exercising regularly for such events. I would like to acknowledge the work of individuals, community groups and the voluntary agencies for the essential assistance they provide during the winter and particularly during periods of severe weather, especially to the vulnerable in our communities. Well-prepared plans and preparations locally and within our communities, to ensure our resilience in such circumstances, remain a key factor for coping with the adverse impacts from severe weather. Community resilience is vitally important in dealing with severe weather and other major emergencies. The front-line emergency services rely heavily upon the community spirit that exists across Ireland to assist them in their work and this is greatly appreciated. Severe weather tests our resources and our ability to carry on normal activities. However, I believe that, by being prepared and working together at local, regional and national levels, we all become more resilient and minimise the disruption to our lives by such events.

Weather warnings issued by Met Éireann are an important and valuable service that has developed considerably over the past few decades. The core rationale for issuing weather warnings is to enable citizens, business and communities to take appropriate measures for the conditions to protect themselves, to mitigate damage to their property and to minimise disruption of economic activity during severe weather. It is particularly important that the public, businesses, schools and institutions across the State are familiar with the coded weather alerts issued and what to do when they are triggered and issued by Met Éireann.

Providing timely advice to the public is high among the key priorities for Government at both a national and a local level. The Be Winter-Ready website and the Be Winter-Ready booklet have been significantly enhanced with this in mind. Together with the links to other public service websites, they bring all of the relevant information together in a co-ordinated manner. I ask all members of the public, therefore, to take some time to explore these sites or to read the booklet or both.

In addition, the office of emergency planning has conducted a cost-effective and extensive information campaign on Be Winter-Ready, with adverts on both national and local radio and in the national print media. They will be also be regularly tweeting during the winter period to augment the Be Winter-Ready website and the advice being issued during particularly severe weather events. The twitter account can be followed on @emergencyIE and the public is being encouraged to join in the conversation at #bewinterready. The main message remains a simple one. Be prepared, stay safe, know where to find help if you need it and be prepared to help others if you can. In other words, Be Winter-Ready.