Northwest floods: Derry council helping more than 230 homeowners

Efforts are continuing in Derry to try to establish the scale of the damage caused by Tuesday night’s “unprecedented” flooding, which damaged homes and businesses, closed major roads and left motorists stranded.

Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) has dealt with more than 230 requests for assistance from homeowners whose properties had been flooded.

More than 30 roads are still affected by flooding, or have been identified as damaged by the North’s Department of Infrastructure.

The worst affected areas were Drumahoe just outside Derry, where the River Faughan burst its banks, and Eglinton in Co Derry. In Claudy, also in Co Derry, a bridge was washed away.

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Flooding Help Centres at Eglinton and Drumahoe will remain open all day on Thursday.

Council officers have been inspecting affected homes and advising on the emergency payment scheme of up to £1,000, which is available to make properties habitable.

Hundreds of staff from DCSDC, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the NI Fire and Rescue Service and the Department of Infrastructure (DoI) are on the ground in affected areas attempting to pump away excess water, reopen roads and clean out homes and businesses.

Assessments are still being carried out to determine the extent of the damage on many roads.

A number of roads remain closed, including the main A5 Victoria Road from Derry to Strabane, and the Strabane Old Road/Woodside Road in Derry.

Church Street in Claudy is closed until further notice, and other roads in the village have been affected because of the collapse of Ballynamee Bridge.

Flights from City of Derry Airport, which has been closed since Tuesday because of flooding to the terminal and runway , are to resume on Thursday afternoon.

“Take care when travelling, abide by road closure signage and avoid areas which have been flooded until the damage can be fully assessed,” a spokesman from the DoI said.

“The agencies are grateful for the patience of the public as they continue to carry out this urgent work.”

DCSDC refuse collection vehicles are having difficulty accessing some areas, and recycling centres have been closed in Newtownstewart and Donemana in County Tyrone, and Tullyally and Bishop Street in Derry.

“The Council is appealing to the public to continue to be patient as we primarily focus our attentions on assisting those affected by the flooding,” a spokesman said.