A number of homes were flooded in counties Down and Tyrone on Saturday following hours of heavy rain and wind caused by Storm Bert.Some residents in Dundonald were stuck in their houses due to the flood water on Saturday while up to 10 homes may have been flooded in Coalisland.
An emergency payment scheme was later activated by Communities Minister Gordon Lyons. It means householders who have suffered “severe inconvenience” from flooding can claim a £1,000 payment through their local council.
Travel was also heavily disrupted, with roads and train lines affected by flood water, fallen trees and other debris.
At the height of the storm, up to 6,500 people were left without power in Northern Ireland, but by 22:00 GMT fewer than 200 people still had no electricity.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) said between 08:00 and 13:30 on Saturday, it received 85 calls in relation to flooding.
Ten people were assisted from vehicles in flood water, with another rescued from a river in Antrim.
Three fire appliances were deployed to Park Avenue in Dundonald, but some residents were stuck as water flooded the downstairs of their properties.Resident Sarah Kirkwood left her home after she woke up at about 07:00 GMT on Saturday and saw the water rising in the street.She then rang the Department for Infrastructure’s (DfI) flood incident helpline to ask for sandbags.
The railway line between Belfast and Antrim was closed for a time but has since re-opened and the line between Belfast and Dublin has also reopened, public transport operator Translink said.The strongest winds in Northern Ireland – at 67mph – were recorded in Ballypatrick, County Antrim, while Derrylin in County Fermanagh recorded a quarter of its average November rainfall in 12 hours overnight.
Earlier, the TrafficWatchNI service reported “very difficult driving conditions” in some higher areas including the Glenshane Pass, Windyhill Road in Limavady and Glenpark Road, Omagh.A gritter vehicle got stranded in snow on the Coleraine Mountain Road, which also was closed for a period.