Implementation of FLIWAS in Ireland Tom Bolger Assistant Chief Engineer Office of Public Works OPW D

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Implementation of FLIWAS in IrelandTom Bolger
Assistant Chief Engineer Office of Public
Works (OPW)Director of OPW Flood Emergency
Response Development Programme?
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Presentation Summary

• About the Office of Public Works (OPW)?
• Flood Emergency Response in Ireland
• OPW's involvement in NOAH Project
• Contribution to NOAH
• Approach to implementing FLIWAS
• Actions in implementing FLIWAS
• Outcomes to date.

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About the Office of Public Works - Introduction

• Office of Public Works (OPW)
• An Office of State at the Department of Finance
• Established in 1831 wide and varied remit
• To deliver, in support of Government policies,
  high quality customer services in property, flood
  risk management, general procurement and heritage
  in the most sustainable, efficient, and economic
  way possible.

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About the Office of Public Works - Introduction

• The OPW's current agenda driven largely by
• The Programme for Government
• The Decentralisation Programme
• The Flood Risk Management Policy

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About the Office of Public Works - Tasks and
responsibilities

• Management of Flood Risk
• The OPW is the lead agency for implementing
  Government policy on flood risk management in
  Ireland, with a role in policy, funding and
  co-ordination as well as direct operations in
  some areas of work.

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About the Office of Public Works Tasks and
responsibilities

• Historic/present role of the OPW in flood relief
• Arterial drainage (catchment based) post 1945?
• Flood alleviation (urbanised / localised) post
  1995?
• Flood Risk Management and Flood Relief post 2004
  (Review of National Flood Policy in 2003 and
  approval of Report by Government in 2004
  identified OPW as the lead agency in flood risk
  management and flood relief)?

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About the Office of Public Works Flood Risk
Management Policy

• Review of National Flood Policy
• Shift of emphasis to flood risk management rather
  than prevention
• Greater level of importance attributed to
  non-structural flood relief measures
• Promotion of the awareness of flood risk and the
  development of appropriate preventative,
  preparatory and response activities

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Flood Emergency Response in Ireland

• Role of OPW in Flood Emergency Response
• Provide advice and assistance, as required, in
  the preparation of flood-related aspects of
  emergency response plans.
• Role includes provision of advice and assistance
  to Local Authorities and communities on issues
  related to flood preparedness and emergency
  response.

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Flood Emergency Response in Ireland

• Role of Local Authorities in Flood Emergency
  Response
• Develop flood-related aspects of emergency
  response plans.
• The Local Authorities are responsible for
  co-ordinating the response to severe weather
  events, including flooding

An Garda Síochána, the Health Services Executive
and the Local Authorities are the agencies
charged with managing the response to emergency
situations
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OPW's involvement in NOAHProject Contribution
to NOAH

• OPW's contribution to NOAH based around its
  existing Flood Emergency Response Development
  Programme
• Objective of the Programme
• To promote the development and implementation
  of effective flood emergency response and
  recovery plans by the Local Authorities so as to
  minimise the impacts and damages caused by flood
  events.

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Contribution
to NOAH

• Stage 1 Review of International and Irish best
  practice, with recommendations for drafting a
  Flood Emergency Response Plan (FERP)
• Stage 2 Undertaking 3 pilot projects in
  partnership with the Local Authorities to prepare
  draft FERP's
• Stage 3 Developing a template of a FERP for
  general application, and preparation of
  guidelines for the development of FERP's
• Stage 4 Implementation of FLIWAS.

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Contribution
to NOAH

• Purpose of involvement
• Applicability of FLIWAS in small communities in
  Ireland?
• Involvement with other Partners (knowledge
  exchange)?
• Main questions to be addressed
• Is FLIWAS applicable in smaller communities?
• Is there a need for a system like FLIWAS in
  smaller communities?
• How much effort / what is needed to set up a
  FLIWAS-system for smaller communities?
• What are the benefits of a digital system
  compared to the traditional system?

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project -Approach to
implementing FLIWAS
Implementation of FLIWAS in 3 pilot areas
Bray 32,000 people
Mallow 7,800 people
Clonmel 15,800 people
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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Approach to
implementing FLIWAS

• Characteristics of pilot areas
• Frequency of flooding - in Mallow and Clonmel,
  about once every 2-5 years in Bray, about once
  every 20 years

• Small-scale floods - business and properties
  affected, but not life-threatening

Flooding Clonmel 2004 (Clonmel Borough Council)?
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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Approach to
implementing FLIWAS
Flooding Mallow - January '08 (The Irish Times,
11th January 2008)?
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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Actions in
implementing FLIWAS

• Actions to date
• Introduction of FLIWAS to response organisations
  in Mallow, Clonmel and Bray
• Detailed presentations on FLIWAS in Mallow and
  Clonmel
• FLIWAS training for OPW and Dublin City Council
  staff by STOWA (2 days)
• FLIWAS training and evaluation day in Mallow
• Articles written for FLIWAS website (newsletter).

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Outcomes to
date

• Challenges encountered in the Flood Emergency
  Response Development Programme (Stages 2-4)
• Limited interest and limited active involvement
  of response organisations due to other priorities
  (formal planning for responding to flooding is
  generally not a high priority)
• Lack of legal status of implementing flood
  emergency response plan
• Limited resources in response organisations
• Facility-issues availability of e-mail,
  internet, etc.
• Response plan not complete.

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Outcomes to
date

• Evaluation of training-exercise day in Mallow
• Overall positive and interested in FLIWAS
• Need for FLIWAS recognised
• FLIWAS not applicable in Mallow now (but might be
  in the future) due to
• Lack of resources and equipment (all staff needed
  on site during flooding, portable devices not
  available)
• Uncertainty about required and available budget
• Infrequent / minor use of FLIWAS (applicability
  of FLIWAS for other major emergencies?)?.

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OPW's involvement in NOAH Project Outcomes to
date

• Suggestions made by potential users in relation
  to FLIWAS
• Use only a few modules of FLIWAS
• Operate FLIWAS from one central location
• Use FLIWAS for other major emergencies.
• Next steps in programme
• Clonmel - FLIWAS training-exercise session
  (Sept. '08)
• Bray - Presenting FLIWAS (Sept. '08) and
  training-exercise session (Nov. '08)?.

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Thank you for your attentionTom Bolger
(tom.bolger_at_opw.ie) Assistant Chief
EngineerOffice of Public Works (OPW)