West Tyrone MLA Catherine Kelly today called on the Infrastructure Minister to recognise the importance of supporting measures to reduce the harm to communities at risk from flooding.

The West Tyrone MLA said:

“Recently a number of areas in my constituency have been affected by flooding as a result of Storm Ciara.

“The Fire Service, PSNI, DFI Roads, Rivers Agency and other relevant agencies were present in some of these areas and dealt with the flooding in a coordinated and effective fashion.

“I asked the Infrastructure Minister to outline the department’s plans for future flooding and recognise the importance of supporting these communities through best practice.

“The minister recognised the significance of this approach and told me the department will continue to work in partnership with other agencies.

“We need to ensure these response teams are adequately funded in the future.

“Flooding is an extremely distressing event for all those affected, and every effort must be made to mitigate their harm.”