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Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

36 hours alone in a bed without so much as a hot drink lessons to be learned from Storm Emma

The emergency effort co-ordinated by the NECC was impressive, writes Tom Clonan, but there is still a learning curve in reaching out to all vulnerable people.

ONE OF THE key concerns in the recent cold snap was the plight of the homeless and rough sleepers. Through a combination of initiatives – such as the provision of extra emergency beds – along with a high impact public information campaign, at time of writing, this particularly vulnerable population appears to have survived the recent sub-zero weather event.

Throughout the crisis, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy asked members of the public to report the whereabouts  of vulnerable rough sleepers to the Homeless Executive. Thus far, there have been no reports of fatalities or other serious injury among this vulnerable group.

Frontline workers – particularly health workers – with acute care responsibilities in hospitals throughout the state made heroic efforts to get to work throughout the red weather alerts. HSE management and hospital managers liaised with the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre (NECC) at national and local level to ensure that our hospitals and vital medical services remained functioning throughout the period of the weather emergency.

In the case of out-reach services, nursing and vital medical home visits were assisted by members of the Civil Defence and Defence Forces. Vital in-patient services such as dialysis or critical medical treatments such as chemotherapy were also assisted by members of the Civil Defence and Defence Forces.

Efforts have become more cohesive with every emergency event

Such liaison between the HSE and other State or statutory organisations improves and becomes more cohesive with each successive weather event or emergency. As a consequence, inter-operational communication and effectiveness develops formally at national level through the NECC and organically at local level through trial and error and coal-face experience.

The NECC is overseen by the National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) chaired by Sean Hogan. Under Sean Hogan’s direction and leadership, the NECC has grown from strength to strength over the last decade and in the case of severe weather events in the past six months,  has assisted government in effectively mobilising its emergency response and – crucially – communicating that to the public. Each national crisis has provided the key stakeholders with a unique learning curve.

However, there are still a few gaps that can be filled in our emergency response capacity – some lessons that can be built upon from the current cycle of severe weather events.

Still some gaps in complicated cases

In the case of persons with disabilities living in our communities, their status as vulnerable citizens is complicated by a number of factors such as their care arrangements and assisted living service providers. Approximately 80% of the care hours funded by the HSE to persons with disabilities living in the community are provided by a myriad of non-statutory care providers. As such, their lines of communication with State actors such as the HSE are complex and unclear.

I was contacted by a number of persons with disabilities on Saturday – at the height of the red weather warning. One person, a wheelchair user with a number of other physical challenges informed me that they had been left for almost 36 hours without assistance. On Thursday, the day that the public were warned to remain indoors from 4pm, this individual’s suffering began.

On Thursday morning, the individual who contacted me – living independently with an assisted living package in their own home – was advised that they had to choose between spending the next 24-36 hours in their wheelchair, or go to bed. The person considered that being forced to stay in bed was better than being forced to stay in a wheelchair for that extended period of time.

They were then placed in bed and a number of cold meals and drinks were left within reach of the individual. The person was then left on their own until late on Friday evening. Whilst the country braced itself and awaited the storm, this individual was left to their own devices with no opportunity to toilet with assistance, wash themselves or have a warm drink or hot meal.

“Not even a slice of toast”

Another individual informed me that their care service was withdrawn without any notice from the care service provider. There was no phone call or update and the individual, with limited mobility and poor gross or fine motor function was left alone – again for almost 36 hours. During this period, they were unable to light a fire, make a hot drink or a hot meal. “Not even a slice of toast,” they told me.

In light of these phone calls and emails, I made contact with a number of State agencies and national organisations in order to ascertain the number of persons with disabilities who live independently in the community and whose assisted living packages might become compromised during a severe weather alert.

The Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI) was unable to provide figures or statistics on this matter. The Centre for Independent Living (CIL) confirmed to me that it was difficult to get precise information on this community of citizens nationwide. However, it was able to tell me that CIL has approximately 100 such clients nationwide and that they were in constant contact with them throughout the severe weather event.

I contacted the Irish Wheelchair Association (IWA), which provides a large number of assisted living services throughout Ireland and which does sterling work in this regard. The IWA stated that it has approximately 1,600 such clients around the country.

A cause for grave concern

Given the number of private companies and care providers operating in this sector, it is difficult to get a clear picture of the precise numbers of people with disabilities caught up in the weather emergency – or to get an accurate picture of their experiences. This is surely a cause for grave concern.

I contacted the NECC at the Office for Emergency Planning in relation to this issue and it made a number of interesting points on the issue. First of all, my point of contact wanted to make it very clear that during an emergency, natural or man-made, the assets of the state – such as Civil Defence or Defence Forces personnel and vehicles – would be made available to carers or care providers who needed to get to a client in extremis.

This is irrespective of whether those carers were employed by statutory bodies such as the HSE or non-statutory, charitable or commercial care providers. In researching this piece, it is clear to me that not all carers or care providers – particularly with clients vulnerable to severe weather events – are aware of this support.

Similarly, in researching this article, it is clear to me that it would be a very good idea if the HSE and those organisations contracted to provide HSE-funded care and assistance hours were to compile a simple database of persons with disabilities living in the community. The best estimate I could reach at time of writing this article is that there are approximately 2,000 such persons living in our communities.

Supporting them properly at a time of crisis is a problem that should be relatively easy to address. The Defence Forces alone deployed almost 2,000 personnel and over 500 vehicles during the crisis to assist members of the public. In other words, the NECC is ready, willing and able to support our disabled citizens during times of crisis.

Clear communication the next stop

What is needed is clear communication on this issue. In reviewing this weather event, all of the relevant stakeholders involved in providing care and assisted living services to persons with disabilities should formalise links and standing operating procedures with state actors such as the Civil Defence and Defence Forces at times of national emergency.

After all, such emergencies – particularly weather emergencies – are predicted to occur with increasing frequency. Hand in hand with that, the numbers of persons with disabilities living independently in our communities is also expected to rise.

So, in future, when Ministers urge citizens to look in on their elderly neighbours during times of crisis, they should also, automatically, call upon us all to look out for our fellow citizens living with disabilities.

Nobody should have to spend 36 hours alone in a bed without a warm drink or a hot meal – least of all our disabled brothers and sisters.

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    Mute Mr Snuffleupagus
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:19 PM

    Tough shit, Get over it. Should the cops, coffee sellers and caterers, medics, street cleaners, employees of hundreds of other companies that will be both attending and working at the event itself also be able to choose not to turn up? What drivel.

    122
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    Mute Mr Snuffleupagus
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:19 PM

    @Mr Snuffleupagus: and clickbait

    44
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    Mute Benjy Dempsey
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:38 PM

    All workers are entitled to withdraw their labour as they see fit.

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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:44 PM

    @Benjy Dempsey: The big stars don’t want to touch Trump with a 50 foot pole. It’s telling that performers have to be forced under contract to be in The Donald’s presence.

    45
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    Mute Mr Snuffleupagus
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:46 PM

    @Benjy Dempsey: So you think you can tell your boss you’re not going to work for any reason you like then, Benjy? Right so. Saying so, doesn’t make it so. If you don’t do your job, you get sacked. At least, out there in real world.

    51
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    Mute James Harney
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:59 PM

    Yes I am pretty sure you can’t refuse to provide some one service just because you have a prejudice against them.

    32
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    Mute Shawn O'Ceallaghan
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:12 PM

    @benjy are employers entitled to withdraw wor as they see fit?

    14
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    Mute Matt Connolly
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:46 PM

    Benji, Wally, bill… Whatever…. You now saying that ni bakery was right to refuse to bake?

    16
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    Mute Joey Westland
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:02 PM

    @Mr Snuffleupagus: Another butt-hurt Trump FanBoy.

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    Mute Warthog
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:08 PM

    @Benjy Dempsey:
    Of course they can, but if they breach their contract…bye bye or a fine!

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    Mute Benjy Dempsey
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 8:29 PM

    Mr Snuffle, ,You might recall the Luas workers withdrew their labour a while back and not only did they not get sacked they won an 18% pay rise.

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    Mute Billy Larkin
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 8:59 PM

    Thats showbiz baby!

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    Mute stopit
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:20 PM

    perfectly fitting for a trump event to have women being forced to do things they don’t want to do.

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    Mute Warthog
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:06 PM

    @stopit:
    It’s their job, if they don’t like it leave. Funny how “principles” seem to disappear when there is a threat of the money disappearing! Plenty more waiting to join! Imagine if employees decided whom their company could do business with! Sack em and move on!

    31
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    Mute Benjy Dempsey
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 8:13 PM

    That’s why we have unions. To keep greedy hogs in their place.

    21
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    Mute alphanautica
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:53 PM

    Considering they have performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York since the 1930s, they’re in pretty good shape.

    84
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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:16 PM

    @alphanautica: Great gams, them girls!

    26
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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:22 PM

    They could do a routine from Hamilton. Or dress as cats and when President Elect Tiny Hands goes for a handshake, there’s a ready made “Pussy Grabbing” headline available for publication. I’m sure the Rockettes have had to deal with many letches in their time, but being forced to do it on an official level is creepy.

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    Mute Tweed Cap
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:31 PM

    Trump will be thinking quietly to himself soooo many pussies and I only have two hands

    45
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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:36 PM

    @Tweed Cap: Somehow I can see Alec Baldwin dancing with a Rockettes type lineup on SNL in the coming weeks!

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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:01 PM

    @Daisy Chai NSaw: Have you never heard of what Bill Clinton or JFK got up to in The White House?

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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:20 PM

    @Eamon Mac Gowan: Yes. Does whataboutery make Trump less of a pussy grabber?

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    Mute Warthog
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:09 PM

    @Daisy Chai NSaw:
    Says the QUEEN of whataboutery!!!

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    Mute Daisy Chai NSaw
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:39 PM

    @Warthog: Your mammy’s calling you for your tea. Run along.

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    Mute Neal, not Neil.
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:53 PM

    That’s millenials for you. They think their rights are being trampled on if their employer tells them to do something.

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    Mute The Girl
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:29 PM

    It’s a job, get over it. I don’t like Enda much but hey, he was going to be at my child’s school for something, and on that day I still sent him to school.

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    Mute Joey Westland
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:04 PM

    @The Girl: Umm, terrible comparison that makes no sense whatsoever.

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    Mute Eamon Mac Gowan
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 5:59 PM

    If they don’t want to do it, sack em.
    There’s plenty of hot sexy dancers all over America who would love to get that gig.

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    Mute No To Forced Births!
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:55 PM

    @Eamon Mac Gowan: Here they are ..

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzgOCR7y0pI

    LOL

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    Mute Joey Westland
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:05 PM

    @Eamon Mac Gowan: as if you’d know, LOL!

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    Mute Rosa Parks
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:02 PM

    Shows the increasingly unpatriotic tendenies of the Left not just in the US but in the West generally.

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    Mute Donal O'Brien
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 6:20 PM

    Incorrect use of the patriotic, Rosa Parks (if that is your real name).

    18
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    Mute Joey Westland
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:05 PM

    @Rosa Parks: Patriotism is a disease of the mind.

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    Mute Timmay Timeo
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:00 PM

    They should honour the president erect

    19
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    Mute John Fergus
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 7:49 PM

    Another pure bs lazy journalism propaganda piece. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

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    Mute Alex Falcone
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 9:22 PM

    @John Fergus:
    Par for the course at this stage.

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    Mute Alex Falcone
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    Dec 23rd 2016, 9:22 PM

    Actually this has nothing to do with Donald Trump.
    The dancers are in dispute with the owners of the outfit.

    4
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