Assembly discuss impact of flooding

Assembly discuss impact of flooding

30 October 2024

THE impact of the flooding which wreaked havoc in Downpatrick and Newcastle last November was discussed at the Assembly last week.

South Down MLA Andy McMurray recalled watching rising flood water in Downpatrick with Alliance representatives working alongside the business community to help wherever they could.

However, he criticised the government response, arguing it was not as efficient as it could have been, with many businesses experiencing difficulties accessing relief funding.

Mr McMurray said that in Downpatrick, many shops are still closed for business with the Credit Union one of the most recent to reopen.

“It will take more than a one-year programme for the centre of Downpatrick to recover from the economic shock that was visited upon the town last November when the flood struck,” he continued.

Mr McMurray said a number of residents in Newcastle saw their homes flooded. 

“Residential properties need more support after such incidents,” he continued.

“Some residents who had applied for flood prevention measures through the Homeowners Flood Protection Grant have been waiting for months for their applications to be processed, with many decisions still outstanding,” he revealed.

“While the reports and reviews are welcome, residents and traders are impatient to see tangible developments that will prevent flooding from happening to the same degree again.” 

Over the past year, Mr McMurray has met with representatives of the groups and communities affected by last November’s floods and has repeatedly raised flooding-related concerns with senior government officials.

He highlighted the need for funding to finance a flood forecasting system and improvements to surface drain systems in Newcastle with Department for Infrastructure minister John O’Dowd.

“I also requested information on the activities of the Flood Strategy Steering Group which is led by his Department and raised the issue of access to household insurance for flooded properties that were built after 2009,:” continued Mr McMurray.

“These properties are currently excluded from a UK Government-backed scheme which affects some residents in Newcastle.’

The Assemblyman also raised the issue of applications to the so-called enhanced flood support and hardship scheme and any plans for reallocation of surplus monies from these schemes and regeneration of Downpatrick’s town centre with Stormont economy minister Conor Murphy.

Mournes councillor Jill Truesdale has also been working to improve flood preparedness in Newcastle and recently tabled a motion at Newry, Mourne and Down Council urging the organisation to commit to establishing a multi-agency emergency response taskforce that would assist community resilience flood groups in the area,

The taskforce would set up key sandbag refilling and the coordination of storage points, purchase and store sand-less sandbags, which are less heavy and  easier to handle, and explore options for environmentally sustainable flood defences.