Galway City and County Councils are being urged to consider the worst-case impact of future Atlantic storms in the aftermath of Storm Debi.
An Taisce says despite the extensive damage caused, the impact could have been much worse had the storm arrived at a different point.
It says Storm Debi set a new high water level record in Oranmore in the early hours of November 14th - and came very close in Galway City.
An Taisce says while the damage caused was extensive, the extreme higher water levels coincided with a high tide of 4.9m.
It argues that if Storm Debi had arrived of the evening of September 30th, the normal high tide would have been considerably higher, at 5.6m.
An Taisce says this would have had a significantly worse impact on Galway City, Salthill, Oranmore, Clarinbridge and Kinvara.
It's now calling on Galway City and County Councils to consider the worst-case impact of future Atlantic Storms - as well as worst-case rising sea levels from climate change - when assessing development in coastal areas.
It further calls for urgent progression of a long-awaited flood defence scheme for Galway City, which has proven a costly endeavor far more complex than originally expected. ]
