Northern Ireland

Clean up operation begins after dozens of homes flooded in Derry and Strabane

Scene in Eglinton village where residents put their possessions into a skip after getting household contents destroyed during severe flooding. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
Scene in Eglinton village where residents put their possessions into a skip after getting household contents destroyed during severe flooding. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin Scene in Eglinton village where residents put their possessions into a skip after getting household contents destroyed during severe flooding. Picture by Margaret McLaughlin
By Ryan McAleer

THE clean-up operation is under way in the north west after dozens of homes were damaged in heavy weekend flooding.

Statutory agencies remained on high alert last night after the worst flooding witnessed in the area since 2017.

The Department for Infrastructure (Df) said almost 300 calls were made to the flood incident line since Saturday evening, with more than 8,000 sandbags distributed.

It brought an abrupt end to the Foyle Maritime Festival, which had attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Derry city since Wednesday.

Organisers were forced to end the programme of events early on Saturday evening for health and safety reason.

The worst flooding was reported in the Waterside, Eglinton and Strabane.

In the Waterside are of Derry, around 20 homes were flooded in Ivy Mead, with another 10 damaged in Heron Way in Clooney.

Homes were also hit in the Ballycolman area of Strabane, with a number of businesses in the town Centre also damaged.

The Fire and Rescue Service said six people were rescued on Saturday, with firefighters responding to 49 incidents.

A woman was also injured at a caravan site in Benone following the freak storm on Saturday evening.

The PSNI yesterday called on motorists to take “extreme caution” when using roads around the Derry and Strabane area with a number of roads still impassable.

An emergency flood payment scheme, offering up to £1,000 for flood damaged households, went live over the weekend.

However, questions have raised over the impact of flood alleviation schemes implemented since the catastrophic floods of 2017.

In Eglinton, close to the City of Derry Airport, resident Allan Bogle said around 25 homes were hit by water damage.

He described a domino effect across the village from 7pm, which eventually resulted in the local rivers breaking their banks.

Among those evacuated from were a number of elderly people in St Canice’s Park, who had their homes flooded in 2017.

Describing the scene in the local community hall afterwards, Mr Bogle said: “You could see the anguish in their faces, it was heart-breaking.

“It took so long to fix the damage from 2017, some of them and they haven’t been in that long.

While the damage wasn’t on the scale of the 100 houses flooded in 2017, the Eglinton resident said: “After 2017, they did quite a few flood alleviation schemes. But it doesn’t seem like they worked at all.

“I think if the tide had been in we would have been in the exact same position as five years ago.

“My parents and my uncle were flooded in 2017 and any time it rains they can’t relax. People in the village are constantly checking the levels of the two rivers.”

He said some residents have already said they won’t return to their home.

“The one positive thing was the way the village responded. There were literally hundreds of people helping whatever way they could.”

Commenting on the £1,000 flood payment, UUP councillor Ryan McCready, said residents hit by water damage should contact the council or their local councillor to apply for the Department for Communities funded scheme.

“Council will send round an environmental health officers to assess the property and that gets them over the criteria,” he said.

“The scheme has been used before, but it’s live again and we just need people to get in touch.”

In a statement on Sunday, DfI said: “Whilst waters levels have receded at affected locations, DfI and multi-agency partners are still in a high state of alert across all areas and we continue to prepare for a further rain warning issued for Sunday with pre-emptive measures ongoing including the replenishment of sandbag stocks and checking of drainage infrastructure.

“The Flooding Incident Line number is 0300 2000 100 for anyone to report and seek assistance if flooding occurs.”