Help pledge for flood buildings

The city is counting the cost of flash floods

The government will do all in its power to help businesses affected by serious flooding in Londonderry, a minister has said.

Stormont Minister Ian Pearson was speaking after visiting business premises damaged during what has been described as the worst floods in living memory in the city.

Insurance assessors are predicting that damage will run into millions of pounds.

A major clean-up operation is under way after Tuesday's thunderstorms left buildings flooded, tore manhole covers off and left motorists trapped in their cars.

There were no reports of any injuries, but vast parts of the city were under nearly two feet of water for several hours.

Mr Pearson said he had been impressed by the positive attitude of the business people.

"It was obviously exceptional, freakish incidents. It has caused some major damage," he said on Wednesday.

"But I have been enormously impressed by the resilience of the traders."

Ian Pearson: Visited properties damaged by flooding

He said when you had a number of different departments working on a problem "there can be co-ordination issues".

"But if there are lessons to be learned, we will look at that. But the priority for now has got to be to get things back to normal as quickly as possible."

Mr Pearson is also due to speak to people whose homes have been affected by the flooding.

Meanwhile, an investigation of the emergency response is under way, but there have been calls for better drainage in the city.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called for an inquiry into why the drains failed, which it said, was partly responsible for the flooding.

FSB north-west Chairman John Friel said: "Without a doubt this is a disaster for the many small businesses in Derry, who have seen their property wrecked and their livelihoods threatened.

"A big concern will be insurance claims that these businessmen will be making, which we fear will push up already high insurance premiums which small businesses in Derry and beyond are suffering from."

Paddy McCrudden, a spokesman for the government departments dealing with the emergency, said the torrential rain had been unprecedented.

"I don't think, if people had known, there was much more we could have done," he said.

"The intensity of the rainfall, it came so fast, the drains would not be designed to take that capacity within that short a timeframe."

Car crash

The police described the situation on the roads at one point as "total gridlock" after one bus and several cars were stranded.

Duncastle Road, Strand Road and the Shantallow areas were all affected and in Victoria Road and Foyle Road, cars were trapped by the rising water. Fourteen people were rescued from their cars near Prehen.

The police said at least one car had crashed into an open manhole.

At one stage, a search and rescue team which operates on the River Foyle was deployed in the city centre.