Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I hope the rest were boy scouts.

I was a girl guide and our motto at the time was "Be prepared, Bí Ullamh". Essentially, that is what this campaign is about. As we all know Ireland has quite unpredictable weather and in the past there were times we found ourselves stranded due to the weather conditions. I think everybody agrees the country should not grind to a halt because of adverse weather conditions nor should people's lives or homes be in jeopardy because it rains too much or because it snows. It is of paramount importance that we are prepared for whatever the weather may bring. This campaign aims to do just that. As the Minister of State said, the main objectives are to provide practical advice to all as to how best to prepare for the coming winter, to ensure members of the public have access to help if they need it, to reassure people that the preparations are in place and that Government has made preparations.

This document provides practical advice for coping during times of severe weather and gives us all the contact details for State agencies that can provide assistance. The main topics of the document include: preparing one's home, road safety, travel advice and advice for farmers and for businesses. It is a very practical document and I commend the Department for the work that has gone into it. It should not be just about a document, as Senator Daly said, but it should also be about people working together as a community and working with a sense of community spirit. With that in mind, I urge people to keep an eye on elderly relatives and neighbours. During periods of severe weather conditions, it makes it more difficult for people to get out and about and do their shopping and to attend medical appointments. They may need help bringing in fuel because, as we all know, it is very important for elderly people to have sufficient fuel to maintain adequate heat in their homes.

We should encourage elderly people to wear panic buttons in case of an emergency or a fall. They should be encouraged to use their mobile phone and to have it charged at all times and to have a torch at hand in case of a power cut. All these things sound very basic but when faced with bad weather or power cuts, people tend to panic. It is very difficult to be ready to deal with an emergency when in a state of panic. Being prepared in advance is half the battle.

I wish to raise the issue of flooding. Last year's flooding has been raised by Senator Daly. One of the objectives of the campaign, as has been stated by the Minister of State, is to reassure people that the Government has made preparation. To be parochial, the people of Athlone had a terrible time last year with the flooding. Everybody worked exceptionally hard during December and January to try to help those worst affected. As always, the Defence Forces were among the hardest workers and they worked day and night with the county council workers and volunteers. It took five days for the Army to come out to help in Athlone last year. It was not because the Army did not want to come out, quite the opposite, but it was because they were not officially called out by the county council. The county council thought it could manage it and it did great work but it made the wrong call. At one point, on a Sunday morning I called the Taoiseach and the then Minister for Defence, and urged both of them to call out the Army that we needed assistance in Athlone. The then Minister instructed the council to request the Army. A procedure should be added to the Be Winter-Ready programme, whereby after a certain specified time, the Army would automatically be called on. The Army's presence always reassures people and we saw that at first hand in Athlone last year.

I welcome the campaign and urge the Minister of State to consider my point about the Army and include it in the emergency plan. I hope we will not need any of these measures this winter. I hope it will be a mild and pleasant winter for everybody. We suffered enough last year. I urge everybody to ensure that he or she reads the booklet and is ready, like all good girl guides and boy scouts.