Flooding: Six rescued during heavy rain in Londonderry and Strabane

Six people have been rescued during heavy flooding in the Londonderry and Strabane areas, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has said.

One person was rescued from a vehicle in water, while five people trapped in flooded properties were also rescued.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland from midday on Sunday until 21:00 BST.

Police have reminded drivers in the Derry and Strabane areas to take extreme caution.

They added that a number of roads were flooded and impassable.

The Foyle Maritime Festival ended its programme of events for Saturday evening early for health and safety reasons, but events resumed on Sunday.

Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it received a total of 106 emergency calls related to flooding between 07:00 BST on Saturday morning and 01:30 on Sunday morning.

As a result of the calls, fire crews responded to 49 incidents.

Greta Mooney had to be rescued from her home on Saturday night due to flooding

Flooding was reported in a number of areas in Londonderry, including the Strand Road and Foyle Road.

Greta Mooney, whose home in Eglinton has been badly damaged due to the flooding, said she was "nearly at breaking point" over repeated flooding in the area.

"I lifted up my bed and it's even in through the corner of the wall, even though the sandbags were down and it was still coming through," Ms Mooney told BBC News NI.

"It was up over the back door.

"Are we going to have to sit and here and take what comes to us?

"There's not much more I can take."

Worried residents left to mop-up flooding mess

By Mark Simpson, in Derry

As residents hit by flooding are cleaning up, they are also asking questions.

The Clooney estate in the Waterside of Londonderry was also affected by a flood last year. There are complaints that more was not done to protect their houses in the past year.

Thousands of pounds worth of damage has been caused but residents fear if they make an insurance claim, they may struggle to get affordable insurance in the future.

In the meantime, all they can do is mop up the mess created by Saturday night's downpour. They are doing so with one eye on the skies, as more rain is forecast.

Margaret Keys, from the Clooney Estate, said the water "poured in" to her house through her back door.

"There was about two inches of water throughout the living room, kitchen, halls, they're just destroyed.

"My son and grandson came, and as best we could, we got the water out. My floor's destroyed."

Ms Keys said she only got new flooring following flooding last year.

"I could sit here and cry."

Margaret Keys, from the Clooney Estate in Derry, says the water "poured in" to her house through her back door

Kerry Buchanan said flooding was a long-standing problem in her area, with her mother's property flooded twice in the last 13 months. Almost £60,000 worth of damage was incurred last year.

"We're at a loss this year because nobody will insure us," she told BBC News NI.

"Now my mum has a year out of her home to come back to the same thing over again. We can't fix this.

"I am devastated. It's not nice when you see your mum almost breakdown in tears.

Kerry Buchanan says flooding has been a long-standing problem in her area, with her mother's property flooded twice in the last 13 months

Derry City and Strabane District Council said it was working with relevant agencies "as part of a multi-agency response to provide urgent support and assistance to those affected by flooding".

"Teams from across council, including Cleansing and Environmental Health, are on the ground assisting those whose homes or premises have been affected by the floods," the council said, in a statement.

Some properties in the Eglinton area of Londonderry were assessing the flood damage on Sunday

"Cleansing teams have also been helping with the clean up, providing skips and bulky waste collections in a number of affected areas across the city and district including a number of areas in the Waterside, Eglinton village and Strabane. External contractors have also been mobilised to assist with the response."

The council statement also stated that:

• Environmental health staff were carrying out inspections of domestic properties to assess damage

• The Emergency Payment Scheme has been made available by the Department for Communities, to help those worst affected by providing up to £1,000. To avail of the scheme, householders must register their property through the department's flood helpline and have their property assessed by council.

Ulster Unionist Ryan McCready said that infrastructure needed to be put in place immediately to prevent future flooding.

"There are issues at play here," he told BBC Radio Foyle.

"Until the infrastructure is upgraded to cope with the flow of water and the drainage, then it'll keep flooding."

The Department of Infrastructure (DfI) said it responded to almost 300 calls to its flooding incident line.

It estimates that more than 8,000 sandbags were deployed.

"Whilst waters levels have receded at affected locations, DfI and multi-agency partners are still in a high state of alert across all areas and we continue to prepare for a further rain warning issued for Sunday with pre-emptive measures ongoing including the replenishment of sandbag stocks and checking of drainage infrastructure," a department spokesperson added.

The Western Trust said the emergency department at Altnagelvin Hospital had been affected by the "unseasonal heavy rain" and that as a result, some areas of the department had to temporarily close.

On Sunday, the Trust said that all issues caused by the weather had been resolved.

'Apocalyptic'

SDLP councillor Jason Barr told BBC News NI: "With the intense volume that the rain came down the actions of ourselves couldn't have prevented it."

Mr Barr said the council and the NIFRS were prompt to distribute sand bags to properties at risk.

His colleague, councillor Steven Edwards, described the downpour as "apocalyptic".

Anoop Guram, whose takeaway business in Strabane was flooded, said the water was about three inches deep in his premises.

"We had to close... there will be damage to the floors," he told BBC News NI.

"I will have to get the loss adjusters. You're talking about £12,000 or £15,000 in [damages] total."

Donegal County Council said heavy rain in east Inishowen had resulted in damage to roads and bridges in the area.

It said there was "significant debris" on the main Muff to Moville road, just across the border from Derry.