Over the past few days parts of the province have experienced very heavy rainfall, resulting in isolated instances of flooding. This weather pattern is set to continue in the days ahead.
In an update from the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) the three drainage agencies, Northern Ireland Water, Rivers Agency and Roads Service have made preparations to limit the impact of any flooding.
In a statement DARD said measures include: checking grilles and culverts; cleaning gullies in areas that are prone to flooding; placing staff on stand-by at various locations including pumping stations; and working with councils to ensure stocks of sandbags are available for distribution.
The DARD statement added: “Government agencies will do their utmost to minimise the impact of any flooding that may occur. However, we would appeal to people who feel that their property may be at risk of flooding to think about what they themselves can do to reduce the impact – simple things such as, for example: making plans to prevent water entering their property eg have sandbags available, moving valuable house contents upstairs if that’s possible and know where to turn off electricity or gas.”
Additional advice for farmers on how to prepare for a flood and what to do if a flood happens can be found here from DARD.
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