Write a commentAfter yesterday's day of flooding in Newry many businesses and individuals assumed they were over the worst only to be caught out by a second wave of flood water early this morning.
An overnight deluge coupled with a high tide contributed to misery for many, with the rising water overwhelming already saturated storm drains.
The speed of flooding was incredible.
Cleary Crescent and Thomas Street witnessed floods the likes residents had never seen before. This afternoon sandbags were being distributed again in the area with high tide expected after 4pm.
Emergency teams having cleared Bridge Street of water in the early hours of this morning saw flooding return around 6am on a level worse than Thursday night, resulting in the cutting off of both the Buttercrane and The Quays Car Parks.
Fire crews, Rivers Agency staff and Police again set to work pumping the water out with many tankers coming and going and as of lunch time the road is open again, although residents and shop proprietors can only begin to tackle the damage done once again.
Many staff from newly opened factory The Rug House in Carnbane had spent the entire night clearing up the interior of their factory after yesterday afternoons floods and had got it completely dried out. They were preparing for a normal business day today when the water struck at an even greater intensity just before 8am. Staff were able to enter the building at ten to eight in their runners but at eight they had to put wellingtons on, a measure of the speed of the rising flood. Staff and the Rivers Agency and friends were continuing to attempt to pump out water at 2pm.
Other areas badly hit included the Fathom line, Dromalane Road and the Dublin Road.
Following the flooding, the Environment Minister Mark H Durkan last night activated an emergency scheme for householders affected.
Commenting Mark H Durkan said: “I am conscious of the incidents of flooding in Belfast and Newry this evening and of the threat of further heavy rainfall to come. Individual householders who have suffered severe inconvenience can claim from their local council, £1,000 payment as an offer of practical assistance. The payment is meant to ensure that homes are made habitable as quickly as possible. It is not a compensation payment.
“If you feel that you may be entitled to the payment, contact your Council as soon as possible and they will arrange for an urgent inspection of your property. If the Council decides that your claim is eligible, you will receive your payment within a matter of days.
“In addition, your council can also offer a range of practical help and guidance, including collection, retention and disposal of damaged household contents, assistance with arrangements to clean up your home and garden, and also by providing de-humidifiers to dry out affected homes.
The Minister continued: “My Department will reimburse councils for the £1,000 payments to individual householders, and for the direct and indirect costs of providing practical assistance and advice.
“I and my Executive colleagues want to help those most severely affected to get back to normal as quickly as possible and to assist them in ensuring their homes are habitable. Working with and through councils, my aim is to ensure that practical and financial help is delivered to those most in need as early as possible. I would also urge people to keep an eye out for elderly and vulnerable neighbours."
Newry and Mourne District Council can be contacted on 028 3031 3031 or the Flood Incident Line at 0300 2000 100
Also commenting Sinn Féin Newry & Armagh MLA Mickey Brady said regional development minister Danny Kennedy needs to manage his budget better to deal with flooding.
"The flooding across many parts of Newry and Arnagh has caused serious hardship to people and traffic chaos as driving conditions have become extremely dangerous. I would urge people to travel only if necessary and those concerned about flooding should call the 24 hour helpline on 0300 2000 100."
On the broader issue of tackling what is now a common problem the Sinn Féin elected representative said "Regional Development minister Danny Kennedy needs to manage his department's budget better to ensure he has the resources to prevent flooding and to deal with it when it does occur. He has a responsibility to ensure that gullies are cleaned and drains are kept free from leaves"
Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O’Neill visited those affected by the flooding today.
The Minister met with residents in Newry and reassured local communities that her engineers in Rivers Agency have been working tirelessly to mitigate the risk to homes and businesses.
She said: "I can only imagine the distress experienced by the people in Newry and other parts of the north affected by the flooding.
"The amount of rain we have seen over the past few days has been the worst we have seen for some time and the problem has been that it has been so persistent that there has been little or no respite to allow infrastructure to recover.
"I have been in constant touch with staff in Rivers Agency throughout these past number of days and what I can say is that if it hadn’t been for the amount of preparatory work they had undertaken, in conjunction with partner organisations, things across the north could have been much worse. My staff have been working round the clock to make sure that people in vulnerable areas have been protected as much as possible given the weather conditions we have experienced."
Praising the Ministers visit MLA Mickey Brady said "I visited residents in Newry today who are coping with the aftermath of the flooding alongside Agriculture Michelle O'Neill.
"I want to congratulate the minister for her prompt response, not only in ensuring that Rivers Agency and other bodies from her department were on hand to deal with the flooding immediately, but also for coming to Newry today to meet those affected at first hand.
"The prompt action from the minister in co-ordinating the response to this flooding no doubt prevented the floodwaters from damaging more properties.
"This stands in stark contrast to the actions of regional development minister Danny Kennedy, whose cutbacks and layoffs, particularly in relation to gully cleaning, contributed to the flooding and the subsequent damage to homes and businesses.
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