Storm Isha in Kerry should have had red weather warning, say councillors

Storm Isha should have been upgraded to a Code Red warning in Kerry according to some councillors at Monday full meeting of Kerry County Council (KCC).

Met Eireann issued a Code Orange for Kerry for the duration of the severe storm, with a Code Red marine warning being given off the Kerry coast for a time on Sunday.

But Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael O’Shea said a Code Red should have been issued as the number of trees falling around the county was ‘lethal’.

While emergency crews and KCC received widespread praise for its work and communication with the public during Storm Isha, claims that Kerry Fire Service was instructed to step down during the height of the storm was raised.

Fine Gael Councillor Mike Kennelly stated that a Code Red warning would have put the public on higher alert. He also said it was brought to his attention that when the fire service was requested by An Garda Síochána, it was told they had been stood down.

“I don’t know what truth is in this but there was a couple of calls put into the gardaí but unfortunately the fire service was stood down,” he said.

Independent Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae called for clarity from KCC over whether the fire service was requested not to be sent out.

“Calls were being put into the fire service and they weren’t being sent out. It’s not that they were stood down, it’s that they were not being sent out,” he said.

“I would like clarity as to what is the fire service’s role in extreme weather events like this. Are there cases where they are not being sent out when requested by other emergency services, such as the gardaí?” Cllr Healy-Rae asked.

Sinn Féin Councillor Tom Barry also sought conformation saying Kerry Fire Service should be trained to deal with such situations.

In reply, KCC CEO Moira Murrell said prioritisation had to be given between what are ‘minor issues and what are major issues’. She added that emergency teams are allocated to deal with situations using this metric.

“Our staff did exceptionally well and I’m not going to go into something where I’m not in a position to give you an answer now. The decisions that were made were the decisions that were made, as we do in every single major event in this county,” Ms Murrell said.

“From my perspective, it is really important that the fire service is available for critical, life-threatening incidents. That would be the guiding principle,” she added.

Ms Murrell told councillors that following all major weather events a review takes place to evaluate their response.

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