Westmeath climate campaigner warns storms will become a regular feature
A warning that storms similar in their seriousness to the recent Storm Éowyn, are set to become a regular feature of Irish life has been sounded by a member of the Westmeath Environment Climate Action Network.
“While what happened over the winter with the two storms was unprecedented, it's not going to be unprecedented going forward. It's going to be the normal weather pattern for winter in Ireland now: there will be large scale storms coming in off the Atlantic and wreaking havoc,” Alison Hough, a member of the Public Participation Network said at last week’s meeting of Westmeath County Council’s Planning, Regeneration & Transportation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC).
Ms Hough was one of several members to raise concerns about Westmeath’s preparedness and the danger posed by roadside trees.
The concern was shared by Cllr Tom Farrell, who said he had raised the issue at the most recent meeting of the Athlone Moate Municipal District. He said motorists driving from Mullingar to Athlone along the Ballymore Road were taking their lives in their hands given the extent of branches overhanging the road.
In addition, he said, some of the eir poles were covered in ivy, and falling over.
“I think organisations will have to come together and start thinking out of the box on how we proceed, because it's just mind-boggling, especially after the last storm. When the next storm comes, look at all the trees that didn't fall this time, but they're definitely loosened,” he said, adding that 70 per cent of the damage to the ESB network was caused by fallen trees.
Ms Hough said that increasing temperatures are affecting sea currents and it was important that storm preparedness put that on the agenda of every council committee.
Jean Ryan, Director of Service for Planning Regeneration and Transportation, said while she agreed the committee could look at the issue of trees, there was “very robust storm preparedness” within the local authority. In addition, in the build-up of any storm, the National Emergency Coordination Group would convene, particularly if it's a storm of orange or red level, and that would then trigger meetings of the council’s severe weather assessment team and its major emergency team if it goes to red.
Ms Hough noted that the last iteration of the emergency plan for Westmeath dated to 2022: “I do think while that's relatively recent, I think things have changed. The landscape has altered a bit in terms of what the regularity of emergencies and the scale of them, and I do think it might be worth reviewing it,” she said.
Damien Grennan, Head of the Transportation and Active Travel Department said the council is seeking to come up with a policy for the management of roadside trees on its property.
“But,” he continued, “in a lot of the cases with roadsides, most of those trees are on private property, on private lands.
“We are heavily involved every year in putting out notices and advertisements through the local media here and social media to advise landowners of their legal responsibility in that regard.
“We also go out quite regularly to do some inspections of those trees, and if in our opinion we deem a tree to be a potential issue, we will notify the landowner in writing and ask them to engage the qualified back services of a tree surgeon or an arborist to do that.