Storm Chandra: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-10
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Mike Kennelly (FG), Labour Panel

I welcome the Minister to the Seanad. Storm Chandra has once again highlighted how exposed our communities are in relation to serious flood events. We see the disruption and the havoc that it caused, even in areas that were coded yellow. I do not know which level of warning we need to take more seriously: yellow, orange or red.
Storm Chandra caused significant damage. These flood events happened in areas other than my area, on which I have been beating the drum on the floor of the Seanad since I came here. Localised flooding incidents can happen anywhere in the country. If we can learn anything, it is from the areas that have been flooded in recent years. I will reflect on my area when Storm Bert hit Listowel in November 2024. It was a code yellow. No one gets out of their chairs for a code yellow. Some 40 hours before the storm there was a snowfall. On the night of the flood event, 40 hours or whatever later, the snow started to thaw as the temperatures rose. The code yellow was issued for the same time. Two hours' notice upstream of Listowel would have saved a lot of houses from being destroyed. It would possibly have prevented human casualties further upstream in the Killocrim area. At that time, I cried out for an early flood detection system, an alarm system that would notify people, including first responders and the local authorities so they could get their emergency crews out because the banks are high and there is going to be an incident or episode further downstream. Abbeyfeale got hit and two hours later, we were like, "Oh my God". We were not ready. I have been crying out for it. Even at that time we were looking for protection for individual people in their own homes. That was in November 2024. We are now crying here because Enniscorthy and the east coast got destroyed.
Could the Minister take on board what happened down there? If we do not detect flood events early, then a code yellow becomes a code red. It was raining continuously in the Enniscorthy area for days. The place was saturated. We know that was the case because we had a lot of wet weather. When the ground is saturated and there is a code yellow, then alarm bells should be ringing downstream or wherever. We must ensure that some measure is put in place. I have been crying out for a detection alert system. It is simple and it does not need planning. We are on about biodiversity and everything else, but it does not need planning. It is about gauging the bank of the river and if there is danger then we are alerted. The council is alerted and the first responders. A 75-year old man should not have to be taken out by a tractor and loader at 2 p.m. Whatever recommendations are taken by the Minister from tonight's debate, could he ensure the early detection warning system is made a priority? It will save time and time saves lives.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-10