HOMES and businesses have been flooded in the North West after freak rain storms along the Tyrone, Donegal and Fermanagh border area on Saturday evening.
Flooding incidents were reported in the Castlederg, Ederney, Fintona, Raphoe and Castlefin areas, following significant levels of rainfall on Saturday.
In Castlederg, at least half a dozen homes were flooded in the Cavan Road area, close to the town’s GAA grounds.
Sinn Féin councillor Ruairí McHugh was involved in the initial community response, deploying sandbags to at-risk homes.
However, he said the severe rainfall in a short space of time resulted in a number of tributary waterways bursting their banks, with homes flooded.
He said torrents of water ran through Whiterock Park in the town, running through houses. It continued across the Cavan Road into homes in Mucklehill View.
“They were badly affected,” said the councillor. “In some cases it came in through the back of the houses and out the front.
“Thankfully due to the swift response of the local emergency services, and the farming community in particular, further homes and businesses were prevented from being flooded.”
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it was tasked to the Castlederg and Fintona areas on Saturday evening, with two units also sent across the border in response to the flooding in Raphoe in Co Donegal.
A spokesperson for the Fire Service said a nursing home in Castlederg was affected by flooding. But confirmed the incident did not require residents to be evacuated.
A number of businesses and homes were also badly affected in Raphoe.
Police have urged motorists to take extra care on the roads on Sunday, with surface water remaining in many areas.
The Department for Infrastructure's Traffic Watch monito said road conditions remain difficult in some areas. With a small number of routes closed.
Heavy rain is continuing to affect parts of Northern England, Northern Ireland and southern Scotland as shown in the latest radar sequence ️
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 23, 2023
Some places have already seen close to July's average rainfall this weekend already ️️
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/h1mlDwguai
