Minister Browne’s Met Éireann comments disgraceful
Minister Browne’s Met Éireann comments disgraceful - The Labour Party
- Govt must take responsibility for communications failures during Storm Chandra
Labour’s climate spokesperson Ciaran Ahern TD has called out Minister James Browne for attempting to shirk blame for communications failures ahead of Storm Chandra.
Deputy Ahern said:
“The comments made by the Housing Minister about Met Éireann are extraordinary. Attempting to blame Met Éireann for a communications failure during Storm Chandra is ridiculous given his own failure to host a storm preparedness media briefing in advance of the Storm arriving on our shores.
“At a time when many areas across the country are flooding due to this Government’s failure to fund flooding defence systems that have been called for for years, this blatant attempt to distract and deflect must be called out.
“Storm Chandra must be a wake-up call for all of us but particularly those with a seat at the Cabinet table. Ireland has been on the receiving end of increasingly frequent and severe weather events, but we still lack the basic tools to protect our communities. The failure lies clearly at the Government’s door. We don’t have a national flood warning system in place, a glaring oversight in the face of worsening storms and rising sea levels.
“This Government needs to acknowledge that modern communication plays a vital role in crisis management and that Government must lead from the front.
“Whether it’s through apps, social media, or automated alerts, we should be leveraging every available tool to ensure that people are informed, prepared and safe. Right now, we’re not doing that. That is not the fault of Met Éireann, but of Minister Browne and his Government colleagues.”