Ireland here for the last time! I wasn’t sure which two I really wanted to talk about without looking back at some of my old work. So, I’ve decided to make my final blog about mass wasting/movement and wildfires. These two hazards aren’t necessarily the most dangerous to Ireland right now, but they do cause the most damage. I chose these two hazards because they have a lot to do with the initial topography of the country. They occur mostly because of topographic reasons.
Mass wasting is relatively common in Ireland because of the many hillsides, mountainsides, cliffsides, etc. that make up the land. They’ve experienced 50 landslides since the 1900s. Also, Ireland is covered in peat which is a brown, soil-like material that doesn’t grow deep roots so it can easily be dislodged. Mass wasting hasn’t taken any lives in Ireland yet, but there is a good possibility that major landslides could cover homes and communities. In September of 2003, Ireland experienced a major landslide after a period of heavy rainfall which is a main cause of landslides. It occurred in the town Pollatomish in County Mayo and over 40 families had to be evacuated from their homes and it caused tremendous damage to nearby roads, bridges, and homes. Another major landslide occurred a month later in Derrybrien of County Galway which dislodged 450,000 cubic meter of peat polluting nearby rivers killing more 50,000 fish.
In Ireland, there is the Irish Susceptibility Mapping project which helps track what areas are more susceptible to landslides than others which aids in preventing future landslides. Ireland is also responsible for getting the National Landslide Database started which helps countries all over the world help record and prevent landslides. In early 2004, the Landslide Working Group was established to help further prevent landslides and also bring awareness to locals. So, Ireland is pretty well equipped in handling landslides but there are some things I would do if I could to help further prevent landslides. First, I’d like like to have barriers at the base of any hillside, mountainside, cliffside, set up so if a landslide occurred, that would help prevent so much from causing damage. Or, have the barriers set up on the outskirts of major cities so homes wouldn’t be destroyed. Also, I’d want a team of people all across the country, to be constantly patrolling possible landslide locations to watch for any land movement and send out warnings of a possible landslide. I would like them to go and check at least bi-yearly and after periods of heavy rain. I feel like Ireland would be well able to prevent landslides with their already existing tactics and also with the ones I have just suggested.
The places that should be targeted first for help and reinforcements would be roads and communities closest to large-scale hills, mountains and cliffs because landslides would be more likely and more damaging in those areas. As for building my home, I would try to put my house far away from any hills, cliffs, and mountains for obvious reasons and it would probably be close to a city center than on the outskirts.
Wildfires are not really a common occurrence for Ireland, but I chose them because I believe that with the rising temperatures and possibilities of droughts, fires could be a more often experience. Plus, Ireland is covered in gorse, a wildflower that is invasive and burns easily as well as many vast forests. In the recent events of wildfires, it was said that the fires were caused by deliberate actions whether out of recklessness or maliciousness. One of the most recent fires was the one in the Cloosh Valley that started May 1st of this year and it’s burned roughly one-third of the forest due to the dry heat and the winds.
Cloosh Valley Forest fire
Other fires that occurred in the same time period, were said to be caused by farmers trying to clear fields of gorse and then just lost control of the fire.
Air Corps involved in the Cloosh fire
Given the intense fire that happened earlier this month, Ireland had the fire department, Army Personnel, the Air Corps, helicopters , and their local Coillte all working together to help put out the fires. The Coillte, is the Irish group in the forestry business. I would like to add awareness posters and signs near possible fire hazards like open grass fields and forests. It would be good to have fire safety classes that hand out license to permit someone to have campfires, bonfires, etc. to those who have completed the classes. Those who go camping or just to have campfires or bonfires in parks and forests should have to present a fire safety license in order to be allowed to have a fire anywhere near grass fields or forests. I feel like that would prevent recklessness and eliminate unnecessary fires. Also, farmers who want to clear fields for their use, must go through the fire department and must have them take care of clearing the fields so there’s less of a chance of losing control of the fire.
When it comes to places that would need help first, it would be communities close to forests or open fields which is a lot of Ireland so it’s hard to specifically say where to target first. It’s just important to pay attention to the biggest threats of wildfires which are large, open grass fields and forests. As far as house placement, I would put it in larger cities, not because I like big cities, but because it’s farther from open plains that could easily catch on fire over a minor mistake. It’s just safer in places with less open grass and forestry when it comes to wildfires.
Thanks for sticking it out with me this semester you guys! I’ve had a blast learning about my country and all the other ones. There is my final blog for you all. Enjoy!
Sources:
https://www.gsi.ie/NR/rdonlyres/829D5C0E-3E21-429F-88E3-82F899D11CA2/0/Landslidesin_Ireland.pdf
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/derrybrien-landslide-killed-up-to-100-000-fish-board-claims-1.388773
https://www.gsi.ie/Programmes/Quaternary+Geotechnical/Landslides/National+Landslide+Database.htm
https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2017/irelands-gorse-wildfires-creating-havoc-0
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/wildfires-rage-across-ireland-as-dry-weather-continues-1.3076493
