Severe Rainfall across Northern Ireland

25 July 2013 19:44

There is currently an ongoing heightened risk of surface water flooding due to intense downpours.

The three drainage agencies, Northern Ireland Water, Rivers Agency and Roads Service have made preparations to limit the impact of any flooding. Measures include:

o    Checking grilles and culverts
o    Cleaning gullies in areas that are prone to flooding
o    Placing staff on stand-by at various locations including pumping stations
o    Working with councils to ensure stocks of sandbags are available for distribution

It is not possible for Government to prevent all flooding as extreme rainfall events can exceed the design capacity of drainage systems. Government agencies will however do their utmost to minimise the impact of any flooding that may occur. However, we would appeal to people who feel that their property may be at risk of flooding to think about what they themselves can do to reduce the impact – simple things like, for example:

o    Making plans to prevent water entering their property eg have sandbags available
o    Moving valuable house contents upstairs if that’s possible
o    Know where to turn off electricity or gas

Additional advice on how to prepare for a flood and what to do if a flood happens can be found on this website and on the  NI Direct website (Property and Housing) or by ringing one of the government agencies.

To report a flood, phone the Flooding Incident Line – 0300 2000 100