Flash flood nightmare

Flash flood nightmare

26 August 2020

DISGRUNTLED Newcastle residents are clearing up ruined homes after the Shimna River burst its banks yesterday in the wake of Storm Francis.

A full scale rescue operation got underway after flash flooding turned the Shimna Road and Bryansford Road area into a lake in under an hour.

Some elderly people were carried or taken by canoe to safety from their flooded homes by emergency workers as water levels reached several feet in places.

Residents are now counting the cost of the localised flooding which left parts of Newcastle at a standstill.

Last night Communities Minister Carál Ni Chuilin confirmed she was activating the emergency payment scheme for those effected by flooding as a consequence of Storm Francis, awarding a payment of £1,000 to those badly affected.

Led by Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), dozens of emergency response officers were on hand to rescue people trapped in their houses by the rising water.

Sandbags were also distributed to help householders keep the water at bay.

The rescue operation continued throughout the day to drain as much water as possible knowing that continued heavy rain, combined with a late afternoon high tide along Newcastle strand, could cause further flooding and hardship. A yellow weather warning was due to last until 6am today.

Residents evacuated from their homes were taken to the Newcastle Centre opened as an emergency response plan from Newry, Mourne and Down Council was put in place.

A spokesperson confirmed that the council was working along with the South Eastern Health and Social Trust and PSNI to look after anyone who were made temporarily homeless.

Offers of community help for those affected were made on social media while Doc’s fish and chip shop in the town provided free hot drinks and sandwiches to emergency teams.

Other parts of the district were hampered by flooding, causing three bridges in Tollymore Forest Park to be swept away.

Several local roads were impassable, including the Bryansford to Hilltown Road and the Castlewellan to Hilltown Road.

Vehicles were abandoned by drivers who were caught unaware by the flood, with many cars damaged by the force of the water.

A NIFRS spokeswoman yesterday confirmed that its teams dealt with “significant flooding” in the Bryansford Avenue of Newcastle.  

She said: “Our specialist rescue team, flood response teams and local crews are in attendance.

“A number of people have been rescued from their homes and the response is ongoing.

“We are reminding the public that in the event of serious flooding to phone the NI Flooding Incident Line on 0300 2000 100. If there is a risk to life dial 999 immediately and we will respond.”

The spokeswoman stressed that the NIFRS was well-rehearsed in terms of its contingency planning in readiness for the strong possibility of flooding and was working closely with colleagues in the PSNI and the Coastguard.

South Down MLA Colin McGrath estimated that up to 300 homes in Newcastle had been affected, describing it like “a disaster zone”.

He visited the area with party colleague, Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon, yesterday morning. 

The SDLP politician said: “A number of streets are submerged under about 3ft (0.91m) or 4ft (1.2m) of water, there are cars that have had to be abandoned and there are people that have had to be rescued from their home,” he said.

“I was out all day with people trying to help them as their homes were flooded. Most of the water raised in about 30-40 minutes.”

Describing it as the worst flooding in the area since 2008, he raised the need for a flood alleviation scheme.

“No one person can now stand in the way of this scheme and I welcome that the minster has visited Newcastle and shares the need for this to happen immediately,” he added.

Emma Rogan, Sinn Fein MLA for South Down, also visited the scene with party colleagues Councillors Oonagh Hanlon and Willie Clarke and described it “as an absolute nightmare”. 

Standing at Bryansford Avenue, the politician had just witnessed an elderly man and woman being rescued in a dinghy.

She added: “When I arrived I saw the water up to the windscreen of a while BMW car, now I can see the top of the wheel, that’s how deep the water is. 

“This has been absolutely devastating for these people. The aim now is to rescue people, to save homes from any further flooding ad to provide alternative accommodation for those unable to return to their homes.”

Ms Rogan said that her local constituency office had been inundated with calls from concerned residents and welcomed the announcement by Minister Ni Chuilin of the emergency payment scheme.

She added: “As far as I know there had been a flood alleviation scheme due to have happened but that was never completed.”

Cllr Clarke, who represents the area, had been at the scene from early morning.

He said there as a rush to get sandbags to homes which had not yet been flooded.

However, he added: “There’s an emergency meeting of the council happening so we can work and support other emergency agencies to determine the needs of those affected over the coming days.”

Council chairwoman Laura Devlin was first to go to the Newcastle Centre in order to start welcoming those displaced.

Cllr Harold McKee reported how he tackled rising river water while he worked on laying a concrete floor in a garage on the Bryansford Road.

The Ulster Unionist councillor said that he noticed the water from around 8.30am.

“We were laying five metres of concrete and while we had a board across the front to give us a level, within a very short space of time the water was coming over the top and we were trapped for a short time in several feet of water.”

Despite he and his workmate shovelling the concrete to create a small dam, the water rushed through, destroying the floor. 

He said that one point the water level in the garden was at a height of six feet.

Cllr Andrew McKee witnessed the flooding through Tollymore Forest in his role as an outdoor pursuits instructor at Shannaghmore Outdoor Education Centre.

The Alliance politician reported that the flooding in the forest was significant.

“Several bridges were washed away, including the Footsticks Bridge which is close to the Heritage Centre. Further down the stream, the area near Tipperary Wood was very badly flooded,” he said.

“Apart from the flooding, there was also detritus on the roads for motorists to contain with.”