Flooding affects parts of Northern Ireland ahead of Storm Franklin

Drumragh River, OmaghOrfhlaith Begley

There are fears the Drumragh River in Omagh will burst its banks

Heavy rainfall has caused severe flooding in parts of Northern Ireland ahead of Storm Franklin's arrival.

Preventative measures are being taken in Omagh to stop the Drumragh River from bursting its banks.

Department of Infrastructure workers were in the Campsie Road area of the town with pumps.

They were also working in Clady, where the bridge has become impassable due to flooding from the River Finn.

Dergview Football Club's grounds in Castlederg is also submerged and people are being asked to stay away.

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Newtownstewart GAA pitch is also severely waterlogged.

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Both clubs say they will have to wait for the water to subside before they can assess the damage.

Other disruption includes:

  • There are power outages across Northern Ireland, though many are being resolved quickly

  • At 21:00 GMT, more than 1,000 households in County Londonderry were affected but that was down to about 100 two hours later

  • Some Irish Sea ferry services have been cancelled on Sunday and Monday due to adverse weather conditions

  • Rail passengers are being told to prepare for longer journeys on Monday as speed restrictions may in place for safety reasons

  • Both Belfast airports are experiencing delays and cancellations

  • The traffic signals are not working on the Milltown Road in Belfast at the junctions with Belvoir Dual Carriageway and Purdysburn Road due to a power failure

A number of roads have been blocked or partially blocked by falling trees, flooding or debris including:

  • Lurgancahone Road, Rathfriland, County Down

  • Loughaghery Road, Hillsborough, County Down

  • Clooney Road, Tobermore, County Londonderry

  • Part of the Upper Galliagh Road between its junction with Skeoge and Beragh Hill Road, County Londonderry

  • Crevenagh Road Park & Ride, Omagh, County Tyrone

  • Coalisland Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone

  • Makenny Road, Ballinamallard, County Fermanagh

  • Ballinlea Road, Armoy, County Antrim

  • Keady Road, County Armagh

  • Road closed (no name) between Ennisclare Road and Newtownhamilton Road, County Armagh

  • Ballycrummy Road, Armagh

  • Armagh Road, Tandragee, County Armagh

PACEMAKER

Localised flooding is making driving hazardous in some places, such as the A1 near Banbridge

Lee Martin

The Makenny Road in Ballinamallard has since been cleared

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has activated a £1,000 emergency payment for individual households severely affected by flooding.

"The payment is meant to ensure that homes are made habitable as quickly as possible," the department said.

People who think they are entitled to the payment can contact their local council, who will then arrange an inspection.

Amber warning

A yellow warning for wind is in place across Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK from midday on Sunday for 24 hours, just days after Storm Eunice swept across the country.

It was one of the worst storms in the UK in decades in which three people died.

The Met Office has also issued an amber warning for the early hours of Monday morning, from midnight until 07:00.

Storm Franklin is forecast to bring strong winds to the UK, with the strongest in Northern Ireland, mainly in parts of Tyrone, Derry, Antrim and Down.

They are likely to be stronger than storms Eunice and Dudley, with gusts of up to 130 km/h (80mph) expected along some exposed coastal areas.

The Met Office is warning of flying debris, damage to buildings, travel disruption and power cuts.

PA Media

The strong winds were making waves in Doolin in County Clare on Sunday

In the Republic of Ireland the most severe warning - a Status Orange - has been issued along the west coast from Donegal to Clare.

A yellow warning has been issued for the rest of the country.

Much of the UK felt the impact of Storm Eunice, which left 1.4 million homes without power, with nearly 56,000 still to be reconnected.

A man was killed in County Wexford on Friday after being hit by a falling tree.

About 80,000 properties lost power in the Republic, mainly in counties Cork, Kerry and Clare, on Friday, and by Sunday, fewer than 500 remained without power.

At least 16 people were killed across Europe as a result of the extreme weather, with millions of homes and businesses experiencing power cuts.

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