Flooding which left a man trapped in his car in a south Armagh village last October must not happen again.
Flash floods wreaked havoc in Camlough – the same floods which brought Newry to a standstill – and now there are efforts at play in a bid to prevent the same from happening again.
In Camlough, family homes were hit, as were businesses when rivers around Camlough Lake burst their banks.
Sinn Féin councillor for the Slieve Gullion area, Declan Murphy, has confirmed that he is to meet multi-agency staff to discuss the issue.
The meeting that he and his Sinn Féin colleagues have arranged will also have senior Council Officers in attendance.
“In December we met Water Services Officers at Camlough Lake and this is a follow up meeting,” Councillor Murphy explained.
“It is of the utmost importance that steps are taken to minimise any chance of a repeat of the most recent flooding that we have witnessed in this area.
“Families and local businesses suffered severe flood damage and there is a real fear of this happening again.
“Hopefully this meeting will ensure that all key stakeholders, the Council, Waters & Rivers Agencies and appropriate departments will come together to coordinate a plan which will not only alleviate the current flooding issues but plan for future challenges.”
Commenting on the wider issue of the accessing of flood relief, the councillor added: “Sinn Féin will continue to press Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, as well as the Department for Economy and Communities to ensure no one falls through the cracks in any forthcoming scheme.
“It is also important to ensure that the independent review commissioned by Council is completed at the earliest possible stage to ensure everything possible is done to avoid a disastrous situation like this again in the future.”
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