Newry Mourne and Down District Council Deal With Local Flooding
During the last week of December 2015, Newry, Mourne and Down district saw some of the highest ever rainfall and river levels, which led to flooding in both urban and rural areas.
In preparation for the impending severe weather, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council engaged at an early stage with the statutory agencies in order to ensure an overall emergency response was implemented.
Activating its Emergency Plan, the Council’s key role was supporting the flood response agencies and the community; this included collection and distribution of sandbags, cleaning and clearing of footpaths and traffic routes, interaction with Government agencies on flood incidents, flood risks and remedial actions. The Council also placed some of its emergency Rest Centres on standby in case any evacuations of flood affected areas were necessary.
Council Chief Executive Mr Liam Hannaway said: “The very close cooperation between the Council and Government Agencies ensured that resources were targeted efficiently and effectively to the areas of critical need. I wish to thank the drainage agencies, emergency services, elected members and the residents of the district who gave great support during the flood emergency.”
The Council finally advises that as there was significant impact in the district due to heavy rainfall, there is still flooding in fields, rivers and some roads. The Council would therefore draw the following important information to the attention of all its residents:
Road Closures/Traffic Information :
trafficwatchni.com/emergency-news
Flooding Advice :
www.nidirect.gov.uk/reporting-flooding www.nidirect.gov.uk/reporting-flooding – advice
How to Report Flooding: You only need a single telephone number to report a flood:0300 2000 100.
If lives are at risk then dial 999 and ask for the Fire and Rescue Service.
Please note that the Council assists agencies with the distribution of sandbags only in an emergency situation and does not supply sandbags to individuals and/or organisations.
Council Meeting Discusses Flooding In South Down and Armagh Area
Nwry Mourne and Down Councillors at a full council meeting on Monday night (4 January 2016) discussed various implications of the recent heavy flooding.
A snapshot of what they said:
Cllr David Hyland: “There is an expectation from the public that councillors should act on such flood issues as part of their remit.”
Cllr Geraldine Donnelly: “Police are concerned at people moving flooding warning signs on roads and this leading to cars stalling in flooded roads causing problems for emergency vehicles.”
Cllr Brian Quinn: “Flooding happens all year long, not just the Christmas season. The general response has been good but there is virtually no maintenance being carried out… we seriously need to reduce flooding and surface water and must have proper maintenance carried out on our drains and roads.”
Cllr Willie Clarke: “We need to be talking to the Rivers Agency – they know the benefits of putting in coastal defences even for areas with six houses.”
Cllr Henry Reilly: In the middle of the discussion, Cllr Henry Reilly answered his phone to “a man whose house had just flooded and was seeking help.”
Cllr Cadogan Enright: “The area is poorly organised with as much as nine agencies involved. We need a joined-up approach”.
Cllr Glyn Hanna: “Coming from Ballymartin this evening, I noticed the water running down off the Mourne’s… the drains certainly need to be maintained.”
Cllr Michael Carr: “There are engineering and maintenance solution to solve a lot of these problems.”
Cllr Billy Walker: “We should be inviting Transport NI to this chamber and putting our questions to them.”
It was finally agreed to write to NI Water, Transport NI and the Rivers Agency and invite them to a meeting with the councillors.
