Council makes preparations for Arctic weather

Communities around Meath have been urged to 'be prepared' in the event of Arctic weather conditions striking this winter. A large number of community and voluntary groups attended a seminar aimed at preparing communities for severe weather emergencies on Monday. The event, organised by Meath County Council, took place in the Solstice Arts Centre and brought together the principal response agencies and community and voluntary groups in Meath to exchange information and discuss how the groups could assist each other during a period of severe weather. The seminar comprised a number of presentations and facilitated workshops with the overall objective being to harness community involvement, learn from previous experiences and continue to make plans that would improve the lives of everyone in the event of a winter weather emergency. There was a strong focus on community needs, communications and the challenges communities faced during the winter weather of the past two years. The participants explored how the principal response agencies and the community and voluntary groups could work together in the future to deliver a unified response in a severe weather crisis. Meath County Manager Tom Dowling praised the efforts and community spirit shown by people across the county during the severe weather in November/December last year. "The purpose of today is to hear the voice of the communities in Meath. It is an opportunity for us all here in Meath County Council and the HSE and the Gardaí to listen to our communities and take on board your views and suggestions, so that we can develop better and more effective ways of dealing with the next severe weather emergency," he said. The community and voluntary representatives present were invited to make an informal commitment to be part of the collaborative emergency management efforts for their communities. This will involve, in an organised way, making the community and voluntary organisations part of the response effort while avoiding duplication of effort. Mary Nally of the Third Age Foundation highlighted the importance of maintaining communication links and highlighted the increase in calls to the Senior Helpline during the severe weather last winter. "People who live hidden lives of loneliness suffer even more during a period of severe weather. We must continue to help each other while not forgetting the frail and most vulnerable in our community," she said. Participants also included Keith Leonard, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government; Garda Inspector Martin Smethers; Brendan Lawlor, chief emergency management officer, HSE; Eamonn Cassells, Community and Voluntary Forum Executive, and Kevin Stewart, Meath County Council director of services. The seminar was organised against the backdrop of the government's response to the severe weather of the past two winters. Since the middle of last week, there has been a national publicity and information campaign about being ready both as individuals and communities to deal with the effects of bad weather. The recently published 'Winter Ready' booklet, which includes useful information and safety tips, was distributed at the event and will be available at public offices, libraries and on the council's website. As a follow-up to the seminar, it is intended to organise further meetings in the spring of 2012.