A new series of flood maps has been launched today by Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill providing the latest information on the depth and speed of flood water during three return periods.

The public will now be able to gain a better understanding of the risk they face during a flood which is expected to happen often, rarely and during extreme weather events.

The flood hazard and risk maps also identify infrastructure and other facilities that may be impacted by flooding. This information will help communities to develop flood plans, to better cope during the flooding and therefore recovery should be quicker.

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Minister O'Neill said: "The new flood maps, developed by Rivers Agency, ensure that residents and businesses have access to the most up to date information on locations likely to flood and the possible impact. They are therefore an important visual tool in communicating the areas at risk and I encourage everyone to view them. If you find that you live or work in an at risk area, you should not ignore this information, but plan for it, as recent events have shown the value of being flood aware.

"The information from these maps will also inform the work to produce Flood Risk Management Plans for areas at significant risk. These will be published documents which will set out the flood alleviation plans of Government, the help local councils and other organisations can offer and, most importantly, the role of communities and individuals."

The new maps update the Strategic Flood Map by providing detailed information for the majority of our population centres. Maps for a total of 69 areas have been produced using the best available flood modelling techniques, tools and data and therefore this new version of the maps can be used to identify the flood risk to communities, individual properties and specific locations.

(CD/IT)