Storm Éowyn left a trail of destruction
A Kerry TD has called on the government to urgently address Ireland’s vulnerability to extreme weather and to ramp up climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
Deputy Pa Daly said Hurricane Melissa has wreaked devastation and destruction in its wake.
“The storm has now made landfall in eastern Cuba after pummelling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Approximately 735,000 were evacuated from their homes in advance of the storm,” Deputy Daly noted.
Deputy Pa Daly
He said Storm Éowyn, which battered Kerry last January although it paled in comparison to Hurricane Melissa, demonstrated just how vulnerable and ill equipped this country is to deal with these types of extreme weather events, which are only going to grow in scale and intensity.
“Entire communities the length and breadth of this country were left devastated. Hundreds of thousands of homes were left without power for days.
“For many areas of the country, things felt they were at a complete standstill for days, even weeks, on end.
“It serves as a stark warning to small island nations like Ireland to massively ramp up our efforts to become resilient to increasingly frequent extreme weather of this magnitude.
“Report after report consistently says that government is not doing enough. It’s time they sat up and listened,” Deputy Daly insisted.
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