Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon: flooding response review cautiously welcomed

The ‘Review of South East Flooding Autumn 2023’ was instigated by the inter-departmental Civil Contingencies Group NI, with a view to assessing the effectiveness of the emergency response, while identifying measures to potentially mitigate the impact of any future flooding.

This joint organisational review was co-ordinated by the Executive Office (TEO), with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) and the Department for Communities (DfC), and it includes valuable input from Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council along with neighbouring Newry, Mourne & Down District Council – the two worst affected areas – as well as the emergency services, to examine the local tactical response and regional strategic response to the flooding.

Speaking at last Tuesday’s (September 3) ABC Environmental Services committee meeting, the DUP representative stated: “I hadn’t intended to make a commentary on this, because I think the [Council] officers knew my views from the outset, and I have relayed that probably in quite robust terms.

“It’s very difficult to know whether I welcome the report or not. I’m just going to wait and see how it pans out, but I think it was a learning exercise for all of us. I’m not trying to defend our officers in this one because they know how frustrated I was at the particular time.

Numerous Times

“Hopefully it’s a one-off but we do certainly need to learn, and I think the key point for me in all of it was communication, and I think I’ve relayed that numerous times to officers and to the enquiry in the strongest possible terms.

“Let’s hope and pray we don’t get something like this again for some time, but if we do I think we will as a local council be better prepared – we will be and should be.

“In Portadown there’s some of those people still badly impacted. My commentary has been probably well documented already.

“In fairness to our officers, once we got over the initial impact, council did do their very best to follow up. It was that initial period that was the problem.”

Committee chair, Cllr Kate Evans (UUP, Craigavon DEA) concurred with Cllr McIlwrath’s last remark: “Thank you Cllr McIlwrath. You’re right, it was just that initial start period where everything seemed to be a wee bit haywire.”

Cllr Clare McConville-Walker (Sinn Féin, Portadown DEA) was more positive about the report: “Myself and Cllr [Paul] Duffy did a lot of work with people in the Portadown area during the flooding, and it is really good to see this report, so I do welcome it and the detail in it, in particular a focus on the Portadown area.

“Portadown was able to get sandbags but there weren’t enough, so I’m glad to say there’s a recommendation in there to review how the sandbags are stockpiled and distributed, etc.

Alleviation Scheme

“Also I’m particularly glad to see the recommendation to progress the existing flood plane alleviation scheme in Portadown, but I’m wondering about the funding for the works, if it’s already been budgeted?

“If it hasn’t been, obviously that wouldn’t be part of the budget and [funding would be coming] through the Assembly at the moment.

“Would council be writing to the Secretary of State Hilary Benn who, as you know, visited the area just in the aftermath, to ask that the funding for that be prioritised?

“I’m [also] glad to see there the feasibility study for improving the drainage system. So all in all it’s good to see that issues have been picked up and there are recommendations there. It’ll just be interesting to see how it all progresses.”

Cllr Tim McClelland (DUP, Lagan River DEA) said he was anxious to see the community and voluntary sector included as part of any compensation scheme: “The issue that I would want to raise is around the compensation schemes that were rolled out, especially as they did not impact some of the community and the voluntary sector.

“As an example, you have Annaclone & Magherally Young Farmers’ Hall. It was completely flooded, and as I understand it they haven’t been able to avail of of any of the compensation schemes.

“Obviously no one wants to see such events again, but it’s probably inevitable that there will be reoccurrences.

“It would be unfortunate if the community and voluntary sector were not to be included, or were not able to avail of compensation schemes, so I think that’s important.”

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Head of ABC Environmental Health Department, Gillian Topping expressed the hope the recommendations outlined in the report would make a difference, should there be more major flooding episodes in the future: “Many of the the issues – in fact all of the issues – you raise have been included into the recommendations of the report.

“As things stand, a Floodline is the contact point for anything that might happen in the future. But certainly there are recommendations around the sharing of that information, information around sandbags and all of the work that needs to be taken forward.

“Local government does have representatives on some of the groups that are taking forward the recommendations, and if at any time members want an update on any of those actions, we can of course bring that back later on in the year, and hopefully we will see some improvement.

“I think the challenge for all of us is that flooding is something which we have to come to terms with. It is absolutely devastating for those that have been affected, and that’s where a lot of the community resilience work comes in.

“So members, if at any time there’s anything you want to follow up, we will of course endeavour to keep you updated on this.”

François Vincent, Local Democracy Reporter