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Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

One inch of snow paralyzes Ireland

Posted on Friday, January 01, 2010 at 09:50 PM
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Just back from Ireland where one inch, yes one inch of snow, paralyzed the country on New Year's Day.
My flight back to New York was delayed several hours and there were many stories of people stranded in their homes because no one had bothered to clear the roadways or the sidewalks.
By contrast, a few weeks back New York was hit with the highest snowfall in decades. Both JFK Airport and La Guardia kept functioning.
In Ireland the notion of actively tackling wintry conditions seems to draw a shrug of complete apathy from local authorities. Snow ploughs are unheard of, gritting the streets is done only on a must do basis.
Meanwhile, the elderly especially, are trapped in their homes waiting for the thaw.
With eight days of very cold weather predicted for Ireland that may be a long time coming.
I'm sure the government thinks they have more important things to contend with. I'm not sure the elderly who are shut in and families unable to drive because of ridiculously small amounts of snow feel otherwise. It is part of the continuing disconnect between government and people's priorities there.



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3 comments

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garrettb | Jan 11, 2010, 09:23 AM EST
I believe many houses may not have central heat, especially out in the country.That worries me most. Fireplaces aren't very efficient, need constant addition of fuel, and do nothing to protect pipes from freezing. Two weeks of subzero nights could be disastrous.

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TheYank | Jan 04, 2010, 01:00 PM EST
Niall, you've overstated it. It was 1cm, which is less than half an inch.

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Fionnuisce | Jan 02, 2010, 12:48 AM EST
That's Brill. Happy New Year Ireland!

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