McKay secures opening of centres for those with no electricity and water

Many people had no running water or means to heat their property. Mobile phone provision for O2 users has also failed.

Mr McKay, said: “It is to be welcomed that the local council has agreed to my proposal to ensure that people without electricity did not go without heat or hot food and water on Friday night”.

“The Centre was open all night and provided water, showers, hot food, blankets and somewhere warm to sleep. Health Trust Staff available were also there.

"I was delighted by the response from Ballymoney Council to my request to have the Millenium Centre in Loughgiel. Within hours, Chief Executive, John Dempsey and his fellow council officials had co-ordinated the Centre management, NIE and emergency support teams from Social Services and the Red Cross.

"I should like to thank Natasha McGee, Customer Relations Manager and her team of engineers from NIE for providing the generator; Patrick Bradley from the Social Services emergency response team, Angela O’ Hagan and her volunteers from Supporting People and the Red Cross team for providing hot drinks and nourishment to everyone involved.

“I trust that everyone, particularly Council, has learnt from the experience and that a strategy for any such future events can be formulated and applied as a matter of policy rather than crisis driven."