Blog 2 - After the storm: an example of resilience
The waffle (TM Bertie Ahern) and jargon around climate change and other big issues can be very off-putting to many. So, this month’s post is about one such word – Resilience. Rather than getting into a definition a simple example may work.
Storm Impact
In the winter of 2013-14 Ireland was hit with one storm after another, with little time for recovery in between, “culminating in serious coastal damage and widespread, persistent flooding.”
Storm force winds occurred on twelve different days
December 5th 14th 18th 24th 26th 27th 2013
January 3rd 25th 26th 2014
February 1st 8th 12th 2014
Met Éireann (report here)
Salthill, Galway experienced extensive flooding and some erosion. Recovery for local business took weeks. The Leisureland complex was out of operation for over a year. Salthill Golf Club, however, was up and running again within days, despite being on the frontline of the storm (Jan 3rd) and being within 3m of the nearest beach in places. This area closest to the shoreline was under water during one of the storms with waves breaking on the golf course itself.
Saltwater inundation, significant amounts of cobble and seaweed on the golf course and damage to the perimeter fencing left a scene of destruction.
A resilient community
The Golf Club members organised themselves as the flood waters receded. Volunteers looked after clearing the debris and seaweed from the course (a small quadbike and trailer invaluable in returning material to the beach), repairing the fencing and fixing up the tee boxes and greens. Play resumed withing days. Needless to say, the fact that the clubhouse is situated well away from the shore aided the speedy return to play.
The resilience of the golfing community – back to business without too much delay – was made easier by the fact that they were a clearly defined ‘group’ in the first place, they had clear lines of communication, and they were motivated to get playing again. It is still, however, a good example of a community that is resilient. They did not wait (or have to wait) around for the perfect fix, or for others to do the work.
Okay, it’s not the best example of resilience (because there are so many caveats to it), but it shows some of the basic ideas about resilience: getting back to business rapidly; coming together as a community; reducing the potential for impact (critical ‘stuff’ was well-away from harm).
A beach barricade
A note on the role the beach played: the cobble beach fronting the golf course played a huge role in reducing the storm impact. It absorbed the energy of the storm, reflecting some of that energy back to sea and using up the rest in moving the cobbles up onto the golf course. Not one part of the course was eroded. The coastal protection by the beach was ‘free of charge’ and is an excellent example of (jargon alert!) 'a nature-based solution' for coastal protection.
Epilogue
I am sorry to report that, although the beach did its job, it did not receive the recognition it deserved. Figuratively, some old guy in a suit pointed his finger at it, shouted ‘You’re Fired’, and built a wall on top of it (well, the last bit is literally what happened) – very sad indeed and at significant cost to the taxpayer.
The beach that did its job (a free soft solution).
The rock armour that replaced it (an expensive hard solution).
PS
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