Ministers expressed sympathy with those affected and gave a commitment that priority will be given to the clean up operation to ensure people can return to their homes as quickly as possible and businesses can get back to normal. Officials have been asked to look at what further support may be available to assist those affected by the flooding.
It is important that there is a joined up response to the emergency and Ministers will be working with their officials to ensure that those directly affected receive the proper support.
Officials provided Ministers with a report on the scale of the flooding. Two inches of rain fell in two hours which is the equivalent of the normal monthly rainfall for June. Water levels in rivers in East Belfast were recorded at two feet above their highest levels in 23 years. No infrastructure is designed to cope with this intensity of rainfall. There were over 2,000 calls received by NI Water and 400 by the Fire Service who rescued 22 people in Belfast and 15 in Omagh from homes and cars, and the Housing Executive dealt with a number of homeless cases. The main areas affected were South and East Belfast, Tyrone, the North West and Ballymena.
Ministers also paid tribute to the work of the emergency services staff including the Fire and Rescue Service, NI Water, the Roads Service, Rivers Agency, Housing Executive, Social Services, Social Security Agency and District Councils as well as the voluntary and community sector for the swift implementation of emergency response plans and their response to what were freak weather conditions.
Although the Met Office is predicting that the rain over the next few days will not be at the same intensity as yesterday, emergency response teams will remain on standby.
A Ministerial statement will be made at the next sitting of the Assembly on 18 June.
Ministers have asked for a report to be prepared for discussion by the full Executive to discover what lessons can be learnt, particularly in the areas of speed of response, hardship payments and any infrastructure deficit in our sewerage and drainage systems.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Contact Numbers:
NIE: 08457 643643
NIHE: 9am-5pm contact local district office
After 5pm contact Belfast – 02890 246111
Londonderry – 02871 262628
Social Security Agency: 02890 545652
02890 545685
Or contact your nearest Social Security Office
or Jobs and Benefits Office
NI Water: 08457 440088
Belfast City Council: 02890 270230
If flooding is coming from overflowing rivers and watercourses contact
Rivers Agency
Omagh Office 028 8225 4900
Fermanagh Office 028 6638 8529
Coleraine Office 028 7034 2357
Lisburn Office 028 9260 6100
Armagh Office 028 3839 9111
Greater Belfast Office 028 9260 6100
Roads Agency:
Eastern Division 028 9025 3000
Northern Division 028 7035 3202
Southern Division 028 3752 9500
Western Division 028 8224 1999
The Executive meeting was chaired by Peter Robinson and was attended by Ministers with responsibility for clean-up including:
Arlene Foster
Conor Murphy
Michael McGimpsey
Margaret Ritchie
Michelle Gildernew
Ian Paisley Jnr
Gerry Kelly
