Floods cause disruption amid NI weather warning
- Published
Farm machinery was used in Sion Mills to clear water from the street
Northern Ireland remains under a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms on Saturday after heavy rain brought some flooding.
The alert began at 04:00 BST and is expected to be in place until midnight.
The warning advises people there could be difficult driving conditions and road closures, with the possibility of flooding and strong winds.
There has been flooding in the village of Garrison, County Fermanagh, causing damage.
Pat Gillespie of Sion Mills Community Forum tries to find the cause of the flooding
Local businesswoman, Michelle Duffy, told BBC News NI there had been heavy rain since early on Saturday morning and a river had burst its banks.
"It sent a gush of water through the town," she said.
Damage to the road in Garrison, County Fermanagh
She said a friend's home had about two feet of water through it and her parent's restaurant had been flooded.
"I'm 42, have lived here all my life and have never seen anything like it," she added.
She said there had been a great response from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, (NIFRS) with sand bags being provided.
"There has been a great response from people here - we have a real sense of community," she added.
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There were 11 reports to the Flooding Incident Line on Saturday regarding flooding in the Garrison, Belleek and Cashel areas, with Department for Infrastructure staff deployed to those.
Water had got into a number of properties and 600 sandbags were used to deal with the flooding.
It is understood these incidents involved three homes and a restaurant in Garrison and three homes in Cashel.
Local residents in Sion Mills in County Tyrone had to work together to try to clear the streets of water.
There were also reports of flash flooding in Strabane.
On Friday, heavy rainfall caused flooding in parts of Belfast.
A number of businesses in Berry Street and King Street, close to the Castle Court shopping centre in Belfast, were damaged by rising water levels.
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Bicycle shop owner Jim McGarvey told BBC News NI the Farset River runs under the area and water came up from a manhole cover "the height of a car".
"I managed to get the door closed but the place is saturated, it's filled with dirt and silt and sewage," he added.
Flooding in the village of Garrison, County Fermanagh
Dozens of homes in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast were also reported to have been affected by flooding on Friday.
SDLP councillor Paul McCusker said the Department for Infrastructure and Belfast City Council provided sandbags to residents.
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The Republic of Ireland's weather service Met Éireann has also issued a status yellow warning for Saturday from 09:00 local time until midnight.
It warned of a risk of thunderstorms and rain for the provinces of Ulster, Connacht, and north Leinster which could cause travel disruption and flooding.
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- Published6 August 2021
