BY AILEEN MURPHY
THE FIRST Minister, Peter Robinson has pledged he will raise the plight of Fermanagh's flood hit residents at Thursday's executive meeting in the Assembly, after he experienced for himself the hardship experienced by people in the county.
Mr Robinson visited three locations in Fermanagh on Saturday to see the extend of the devastation caused by the rising waters. He called at Crom, Rossmaccaffrey road, Lisnaskea, and the Derrychara Link Road, Enniskillen. And he was left in no doubt about the strength of feeling of the people who have been left stranded by the floods.
He was accompanied on his visit by this Herald reporter, and the DUP Minister, Arlene Foster.
Even though I live in Enniskillen the journey was something of an eye-opener for me, so I can only imagine what it was like for Mr Robinson.
In the last week every news bulletin and paper has carried reports of the extent of the flooding in the county, but I have to admit it has had very little impact on my daily life. However, I was given an insight into what life has been like for other people in the same county. On the trip we called at Rossmaccaffrey Road just outside Lisnaskea. The view across the fields was incredible - it was impossible to tell where the road ends and the river begins, it was one big open plain of treacherous water.
There are 12 houses accessed by this road and they have been completely cut off by flooding from the Colebrooke river. The situation is so bad a number of families have abandoned their homes and been moved to alternative accommodation.
I joined the First Minister, and Mrs Foster on a trailer being towed by a tractor to experience what these people have had to endure for the last fortnight. Precariously balanced on the trailer we moved slowly into the water. A terrifying experience as the water deepened and there was no visible indication of where the road went. The local knowledge of farmer Andrew Wilson and his son, Trevor who was driving the tractor, was the only way we managed to manoeuvre safely through the freezing water.
A journey of less than a mile, which should have taken a matter of minutes, lasted almost 20 minutes in bitterly cold November conditions completely exposed to the elements.
This is a journey the residents of Rossmaccaffrey Road have had to make every day for the last two weeks in wind, rain and darkness. And all this is before they get to school or work. It comes as no surprise to me that a number of families have taken the decision to look for alternative accommodation.
A number of the Rossmaccaffrey Road residents arrived to make their views known to the First Minister. They spoke about the difficulties of getting to work and school, and they recounted the problems of getting fodder to their animals, of dumping milk as the tanker can't get access to their farm, and of getting the simple everyday necessities of milk and bread.
Residents also complained that Roads Service had put up a sign saying the road was closed, without consulting with the residents.
We also visited the area around Crom estate, where Noel Johnston, manager, explained to the First Minister that the water had risen by almost seven feet in some areas. As well as the immediate difficulties caused to residents who were unable to drive through many of the floods, Mr Johnston also highlighted the long-term problems caused by debris in the water.
After his visit to rural east Fermanagh, the First Minister came to Enniskillen to speak to shop owners along the Derrychara Link Road. He heard they pay premium rates due to their proximity to Erneside shopping centre, but have been left 'stranded' on the flooded stretch of roads while access to Erneside and Asda has been accommodated by raising the level of the adjacent road.
