An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | O n Wednesday 28th February 2018 Storm Emma hit Ireland and collided with the Beast from the East to provide the country with the heaviest snowfall it had seen since 1982. Met Éireann issued a red weather warning to much of Ireland's east, southeast and midlands in the run-up to the event that initially brought Dub- lin, Kildare, louth, Wicklow and Meath to a halt before spreading to much of the rest of the country. Many roads remained impassable until the thaw that began on Mon- day 5th March reached them. Parts of Wicklow and Carlow reported 60cm of snowfall, compared to the previous Met Éireann record of 45cm at Casement Aerodrome on New Year's Eve 1962. During this period of extreme weather, the Defence Forces deployed 1,814 personnel and 533 vehicles in a range of tasks to support the civil authorities, and Tuesday 6th March saw them still operational, clearing snow and ice from towns in County Wexford; Blessington in Wicklow; and Naas and Clane in Kildare. Defence Forces personnel provided a significant support role in the major emergency response, with deployments across a wide spectrum of activities. 'Manpower and mobil- ity' deployments, using 4x4s, and other specialist vehicles, took place in counties Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Donegal, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow. Members of the Defence Forces and Civil Defence provid- ed ambulance services and patient transfers for hospitals, while also helping local authorities to clear roads blocked by the heavy snowfall. The range of assistance provided was extremely varied and the following list of activities only represents the tip of the iceberg: road clearance in Kildare, Laois, Meath, Wa- terford and Wexford; transporting HSE staff and patients; transporting people for dialysis treatment; providing paramedic support and ambulance services; transporting midwives and essential staff to the Coombe and Holles St maternity hospitals; carrying out Meals on Wheels runs; supporting the Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade; transport- ing essential Met Éireann staff; clearing snow and ice from Crumlin Children's Hospital and Harold's Cross Hospice; transporting essential Prison Service staff; and providing ManPoWEr & MoBility: DEFEnCE FoRCES PRovIDES AID To CIvIL AuTHoRITy By Sgt WAynE FItzgERAlD

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