Storm Chandra: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-10
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Patricia Stephenson (SD), Labour Panel

The Senator is so diligently sharing time so that we all get more.
The kind of flooding we have seen in recent weeks is not a once-off event. We cannot say we are having once-off extreme weather events. They are ordinary and are no longer extraordinary. Rain continues to fall. This has laid bare the extent to which governments have failed to take flood risk management seriously. One of the clearest failures in that regard is the absence of a modern and effective flood warning system, which other jurisdictions have and have been effective elsewhere. They have proven that such systems work. A system here could include targeted push alerts to mobile phones in high-risk areas; real-time monitoring of river and groundwater levels; and clear localised warnings to give people time to protect their homes and their livestock and to make informed decisions.
These are standard practices in many European countries, yet communities in Ireland are still left relying on informal updates and word of mouth. Beyond warnings, we must also address how we manage water itself. Increasingly, European countries are moving towards natural flood management, an approach that works with nature rather than against it. We have heard Senator Noonan make interventions around this area. These natural flood management measures include restoring wetlands and flood plains; re-meandering straightened rivers; planting trees in catchments; and creating upstream water storage areas that slow the flow of water before it reaches towns and villages.
We do not need to reinvent the wheel when we see what works in other countries. In the Netherlands, the "room for the river" programme has reduced flood risk by giving rivers space to expand safely. In the UK, the Pickering "slowing the flow" project combines woodland planting, leaky dams and restored wetlands to significantly reduce flooding in towns.
Similar schemes in Belgium and Germany have shown that these measures are cost-effective. They improve biodiversity, enhance water quality and regenerate rural landscapes.
Crucially, natural flood management avoids the problem of simply pushing water downstream and transferring risk from one community to another, which we have seen play out in Kilkenny. Kilkenny got concrete flood protection but that has simply pushed the problem downstream. It has increased higher water flow and pushed it into Graiguenamanagh, Thomastown and Inistioge, the places that were really badly affected over the past few weeks. By storing and slowing water across entire catchments, natural flood management delivers fairer and more resilient outcomes. I would really like us to consider this.
Climate change is here. Flooding is not inevitable and inaction is choice. We need early warnings that work. We need nature-based solutions that are proven economically and sustainable.
I acknowledge all of the work of local authorities across the country, in particular, in the south east, and community services and fire services. They have done incredible work over the past few weeks.
We are a year on from Storm Éowyn and I have a question on whether the households have received the information booklets that were promised to them on what to do when a storm hits. That was a promise during Storm Éowyn. We are a year on and this is this at the very least is some tangible action we could see from the Department, ensuring that people know exactly what to do and how to react in these instances.

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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