The OPW and Met Éireann’s new flood forecasts should be made public, a TD has suggested.
Ireland has endured some devastating floods in recent years and civil servants are developing a Flood Forecasting Centre in line with “international best practice”.
Forecasts have been produced but so far have only been shared with local authorities.
On The Hard Shoulder, Social Democrats TD Aidan Farrelly praised them for their “incredible work” and said the forecasts should be made public.
“It looks like the Government and the OPW have developed some software that is very valuable to local authorities in terms of informing our weather warnings,” he said.
“What Alan [O’Reilly of Carlow Weather] and other people, I’m sure, are looking for is access to that information.
“When it comes to weather forecasting, information is power and there’s an opportunity here for the OPW - who have their controversial projects recently.
“This is an opportunity for a really actually public win.”
Rainfall in Skibereen, County Cork. Credit: Andy Gibson/Alamy Live NewsCarlow Weather’s Alan O’Reilly said he has been raising the issue for some time with civil servants.
“I actually put in an FOI request to get a copy of one of these briefings that was given to the county councils last year,” he said.
“I got it a month after it was issued with no redactions whatsoever.
“So, I just cannot understand why that information that’s been provided to county councils cannot be made public on Met Éireann’s website.
“Even with the warning that the system is in development.”
An area flooded in front of SuperValu in Midleton, Co Cork on October 19th 2023.Mr O’Reilly added that in times of crisis, people rely on Met Éireann to provide them with the information they need.
“I don’t think people in flood affected areas expect to get forecasts from county councils,” he said.
“They expect to get it from Met Éireann; there is a flood forecasting team.
“They were spending millions on it… Over €4 million has been spent on it this year, which is really small change when you look at the impact of flooding.
“So, let’s just make the information that they have [public].”
Main image: Flooding in Midleton, Cork. Picture by: PA Media
