Emergency team members were just like ‘angels’

Jason McKillion, who lives on Feystown Road, was one of the many rural residents who received aid from the council and PSNI co-ordination team during the period of extreme weather.

The letter read: “They have been an excellent daily contact checking that people have received food parcels, fuel, medical equipment, prescriptions and generally being a human contact, calling at least once a day and sometimes five times a day since last Saturday.

“I am eternally grateful to the air police who delivered food and medication to my home; they were like angels from heaven.

“Also, a big thank you to the council team who made sure I got my delivery of colostomy pouches; words are not enough to just say thank you.”

Mr Mckillion said he was ‘overjoyed’ to have received a personal visit from Cllr Mulvenna.

“It’s so great to see you visiting local homes and seeing for yourself the devastation which has occurred in the Feystown area,” the letter added.

“My needs are trivial in comparison to the farmers who live nearby and have had their lives turned upside down with the loss of livestock; I have seen and heard hard sturdy farmers almost reduced to tears and who are now thinking ‘what’s the point?’ in looking for anymore buried sheep and lambs as they will probably by this stage be dead.

“The close-knit community have all looked out for each other; my neighbours walked the eight miles to Glenarm on Saturday, bringing back essential food for the homes nearby. Farmers in the midst of their loss have cleared roads and tried to clear laneways into homes, some of which had snow drifts of up to at least 15 feet. They are exhausted and overwhelmed by all that is happening and now six days later, I don’t know how they are able to sleep.

“The road clearers have worked day and night in blizzards and freezing conditions and are still opening roads in some of the highest points where neighbours are still stranded. There seems to be no sign of a thaw and the weather reports say we could be having another month of snow.

“When the snow eventually thaws the land is going to be littered with dead livestock and the farmers will have another nightmare of clearing up the carcasses; I dread to imagine the scenes that lie ahead.

“I think its important that the help which was received is acknowledged and is seen to be appreciated,” said Mr McKillion.