Mayor praises flood relief effort and pledges support

The Mayor, who visited the homes of some of those affected in the Ivy Meade and Eglinton areas earlier today, said she was heartbroken to see the impact the floods had on their homes, said it was important all the relevant agencies did all they can to provide upfront emergency support as well as long-term solutions to this issue.

Praising the efforts of those on the ground on Saturday evening who responded to the floods, Mayor Duffy acknowledged the prompt response from all partners and agencies as well as the community and voluntary sector.

She added that officers at Derry City and Strabane District Council are continuing to work with all relevant agencies as part of a multi-agency response to provide urgent support and assistance to those affected across the City and District.

She paid tribute to all agencies including Council’s Cleansing and Environmental Health team who were out on the ground assisting those whose homes or premises affected by the floods.

She also acknowledged the important role played by local community resilience groups across the Council area who were helping local communities as part of the recovery response.

Encouraging those whose premises have been affected by the floods to report the incident to the Flooding Helpline or to the Environmental Health Dept at Council so they can be registered to avail of the Emergency Payment Scheme, currently available by the Department for Communities, Mayor Duffy said the fund can provide up to £1,000 to help make their home fit to live in following inspections by Council’s environmental health teams.

She said: “It is vitally important to note that anyone whose home is affected by the flood that they register this through the Flooding Helpline so they can be included in the scheme. Once their property is registered then an officer from Council’s Environmental Health team will carry out an assessment inspection of the damage under the scheme criteria.

“I saw for myself the extent of the devastation caused by this latest flooding incident. It is heartbreaking to see family homes and businesses impacted in this way. We need to do all we can to provide the support they need to restore their homes and to put mitigation measures in place to protect them from future incidences.”

The Mayor warned of a further Yellow weather warning is in place today and reassured the public that Council will continue to work closely with all agencies to monitor this as part of the ongoing recovery response.

She urged the public to take note of the emergency numbers and website links for further information and advice and to take all the necessary precautions to keep themselves, their families and properties safe.

The emergency numbers are as follows -

The Flood Helpline 0300 2000 100.

NI Water 0345 440 088

NI Housing Executive 03448 920 901

NI Electricity Networks 0345 643643

NI Gas emergency service 0800 002 001

Report a Blocked road 0300 200 7891

For more info on flooding advice visit - https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/what-do-if-flood-happens