'Frightening' flooding in Co Down is 'worst in 40 years' as some residents unable to leave homes

"One of my neighbours who has lived here for 40 years said he has never seen anything like it,"

"Residents aren't shocked at all at this flooding, as we are always on high alert when there is a heavy rain and particularly a weather warning. Although this is a yellow warning, about three days' worth of rain has fallen in the past 24 hours. Everybody is watching the drains around them, and some residents have desperately needed sandbags to protect their properties. Today, our residents are worried. Over the past two years since the last major flooding, their mental health has been significantly affected, and even light rain now causes major anxiety for some."

"I've never seen so much debris come down before, it's quite frightening. It looks as if we are going to be [trapped] for a while because there's also a high tide so we won't be leaving, it's not worth the risk."

County Down experienced intense rainfall that left some residents unable to leave their homes and turned roads into flowing streams. Newcastle households used sandbags and monitored drains as water rose rapidly. Witnesses reported roughly three days' worth of rain falling within hours and described unprecedented debris funneling down the mountain. Community resilience groups said repeated warnings and calls for flood prevention left residents feeling helpless. Recurrent major flooding over the past two years has significantly affected mental health, making even light rain a major source of anxiety. High tides compounded the danger and prevented some households from evacuating safely.

Read at Irish Independent