THE Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill today paid a visit to Enniskillen to see the impact of Storm Desmond first hand.
During the visit the Minister, who was accompanied by Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, spent time with Rivers Agency staff working at the Derrychara Link in Enniskillen.
The Ministers watched as Rivers Agency staff demonstrated how pumps were used to divert water into Lough Erne in order to keep it away from the town centre.
Minister O’Neill said: “Fermanagh and the west has borne the brunt of the heavy rainfall. The storm has severely impacted people from all walks of life, right across the county. With just weeks until Christmas, many now face the difficult and dispiriting task of clearing up their saturated and damaged property. My heart goes out to them.”
The Minister had the opportunity to hear how Rivers Agency had been responding to the floods. She praised the multi-agency approach in responding to the flood saying that without this approach many more people would have felt the impact of the storm.
She said: “Rivers Agency, along with other responders, have been working hard to keep damage and disruption to a minimum as Lough Erne has reached its highest level for six years.
“Cooperation between the responders has been key and it is important that this continues. The multi-agency co-operationý protocols, put in place to deal with incidents such as this, has worked well. I want to commend the combined efforts of Rivers Agency, the emergency services, Transport NI, the local council and NIW in helping those affected. Every worker involved deserves our thanks. Our infrastructure has been severely tested over the past week and it has stood up well and has prevented the situation affecting many more people,” she added.
For the full story and interview with the Minister see this week’s Fermanagh Herald.
If you are affected by flooding, contact the dedicated flooding incident line on 0300 2000 100.
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s on-call emergency number is 07711 388 566. Callers to that number will have their details taken and be advised of what assistance can be given.
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