A TWINBROOK pensioner whose home was destroyed during the extensive flooding that hit parts of West Belfast in June is unable to access his emergency compensation payment from Lisburn City Council due to the Ulster Bank crisis.
Paddy Ferguson was speaking a month after his Glasvey Court bungalow was extensively damaged by the torrential downpours that affected Twinbrook and parts of Lagmore.
Glasvey Court bore the brunt of the flooding in Twinbrook, with water pouring into the small residential cul-de-sac from a newly-constructed walkway off the Stewartstown Road. The resulting deluge left small bungalows in the close submerged to knee-level in flood water.
However, Paddy Ferguson is unable to carry out vital repair works to his home as he is still waiting on his compensation cheque for £1,000 to clear in his Ulster Bank account.
“I got the cheque a few days after the flooding happened but it still hasn’t been cleared yet. I just have to sit and wait for it to appear in my account,” he said.
“I lost all my furniture in the flooding and a lot of personal items too. The Housing Executive have only been out once or twice to look at the house and the damage, and so far nothing else has been done.”
Paddy said he has had to rely on furniture donations from relatives until he can access his money.
“Even if I had the money to buy furniture, I couldn’t bring it into this house as the dampness still hasn’t cleared yet,” he said.
“My bed is sill damp and I’m having to lie on binliners and towels when I’m sleeping. Because I’m sleeping on a damp bed I have a cough that I cannot shake and I’ve never had chest problems before.”
Lagmore Heights saw some of he worst scenes in the June flooding after the street was engulfed by a river of water when a nearby stream burst its banks.
At least 10 inches of brown sludge from a nearby building site was left lying on the street and in the driveways of many residents’ homes after the flooding sub-sided. Lisa McKernan spoke to the Andersonstown News at the time and told how her son had become totally submerged in the polluted waters that ripped up manhole covers in the street. One month on, her husband Brendan said the family home was now fully repaired after the downpour.
“There was about three foot of water in the street during the worst of the flooding,” said Brendan.
“We were lucky as we got help from the Fold Housing Association, but my neighbour, who owns her home, got it worse than anyone else but is having to foot the bill for any repair work herself.”
The residents of the Orchardville area of Finaghy, which was also badly hit by floodwaters in June’s deluge, met with representatives of NI Water, Roads Service and the Rivers Agency this week to discuss their fears of further flooding in the area.
Speaking after the meeting, SDLP Councillor for the area, Claire Hanna, said it was useful to “get all the agencies together in the same room to have discussions with residents”.
“It might not be glamorous but it is about taking small steps to make progress in whatever way we can,” she said. “Residents are at a point where they are literally frightened by the rain every time they look out their window. The attendance by representatives from NI Water, the Roads Service and the Rivers Agency was a welcome one, but there was frustration that the residents were the ones providing the answers rather than the other way around,” she said.
Local Sinn Féin MLA Alex Maskey has similar frustrations over the lack of accountability of statutory organisations such as NI Water.
“At the time of the flooding I was a big critic of how it was handled – not one of the organisations spoke out at the time. I am sick of listening to people who are self-proclaimed experts on the cause of the flooding. It is the agencies that need to come out and give an explanation. There is a serious problem that arms-length bodies are not being held accountable,” he said.
“Some of the flooding was caused by drainage problems while there were other more substantial reasons behind the flooding. The responsible agencies should know this information and should be acting on it.”
NI Water has now agreed to carry out a full audit to examine issues thown up by the recent flooding.
A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said when asked about Paddy Ferguson’s continuing difficulties: “During the recent floods, 27 properties in the area were affected, of which 22 required follow-up repairs, including this property.
“We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused, but it is essential that floors in the property are fully dried-out before we carry out the necessary work.
“We will continue to liaise with our tenant to ensure that that is done as soon as is practically possible.”
