Businesses on Sugar Island once again holding their breathe

BUSINESSES in  Sugar Island are once again holding their breathe admidst rising water levels in the canal.

Their anxiety comes after extensive rainfall in the wake of Storm Chandra.            

As a result sandbags are being deployed in anticipation of potential flooding the likes of which blighted the area in 2023.

Speaking in the wake of this development was Eamonn Connolly of Newry BID.       

Mr Connolly, who chairs the flood resilience group, stated that it is simply a matter of remaining vigilant now that the warning threshold has been passed.   

“I chair the flood resilience group . We have probes in the river and canal to monitor the water levels. When it reaches certain thresholds this triggers various actions. Last night was our highest risk since the floods.

“I am in regular contact. We are now installing sandbags as we past our warning threshold this morning. It is low tide so we are okay. Our concern is 6 O’Clock hightide. There is an ice warning tonight so hopefully the rain will not be too bad, we just have to stay vigilant.”  

 Keep up top date on the Newry Democrat’s website and social media pages for any further developments in this story.