FLOOD ON THE STREETS; FREAK STORM LASHES IRELAND Chaos for drivers and families as 10 days rain falls in 2 hours.

Byline: By MAURICE FITZMAURICE

THE north of Ireland was brought to its knees in just two hours yesterday after a freak thunder storm.

Hundreds of homes were wrecked as torrential rain caused millions of euros worth of damage.

The deluge shut down a shopping centre, a number of schools and even a section of Stormont.

In Ireland's highest town Raphoe, in Co Donegal, roads were closed and drivers were forced to abandon their cars in the middle of the street.

Shops and houses were destroyed as water flowed into their properties.

Some families desperately tried to empty water from the downstairs of their homes.

In Strandtown Police Station in East Belfast the ground floor was flooded meaning prisoners had to be evacuated.

The east of the city was worst hit as streets filled with water so high it poured into people's homes and destroyed cars. A spokesman for the UK Met Office said around one third of June's average rainfall, 72mm, fell in just two hours.

And he added there is more to come today, claiming: "Later on Wednesday there will be more heavy rain and with the ground already saturated that will mean flooding is more likely.

"Thursday and Friday may see more rain too."

In parts of Belfast the damage had already been done. Joanne McWilliams said her mum's home has been destroyed.

She added: "By about 2pm the ground floor of our house was wrecked. The water was pouring into the yard and the smell of sewage was awful. We had to move all our stuff upstairs but it was too late. My mum and dad aren't well at the minute and they can do without this.

"We were calling the DoE and the Fire Brigade for sandbags but they said it could be late this evening or tomorrow. What use if that."

Other streets were blocked by the police as fire brigade staff tried to pump water away. Flo Miskimmin, a school secretary, said she had to abandon her car.

She added: "I had to be given a piggyback by a police man to get out of my car. The water started to come into the school as I left and the kids were wading through the water to their parents."

Belfast Community Housing Association Chief Executive Dermot Curran said "technical people" were on standby to check the houses' electrics. He added: "I have people here ready to go in and make sure electrics are safe and that's the main thing.

"We're also trying to organise temporary accommodation for anyone who needs it."

Ulster Unionist councillor Michael Copeland said: "I've been on at the DoE all day and sandbags are like hen's teeth. If it wasn't for a few lads from the local flute band going and getting some we would have been finished.

"At the present we have the ridiculous situation where the Water Service say it's not their problem as it is surface water and the Roads Service maintaining it isn't their problem because the problem stems from drains."

Strandtown Primary School, also in East Belfast, was flooded.

And at Burren Way, where George Best's dad lives, the fire brigade had a boat on standby to ferry people to and from two blocks of flats.

The basements of the two multistorey buildings were filled with water meaning the electric supply had to be turned off.

Resident Wilson Wilfred said he had spent the afternoon helping young women across Ladas Drive with their pushchairs.

He added: "I haven't seen flooding like this for 20 years. It's incredible."

The Lower Ormeau Road was spared any flooding, after being deluged in recent years.

However there was serious flooding on the Upper Ormeau. Dozens of roads were closed because of the torrential rain, leaving the fire and rescue services responding to 200 emergency calls inside 30 minutes.

Connswater Shopping Centre was closed down after the deluge caused ceilings to collapse.

Local man John McClean said: "I just came in to go to Woolworths and the water was running on to the floor. Tesco looked completely swamped."

Rainwater leaked into the top two floors of Parliament Building - Deputy Speaker John Dallat warned MLAs the flooding may have damaged the alarm system making it go off.

Finance Minister Peter Robinson broke off in the middle of a debate to tell MLAs: "We are going to have to get our wellies on tonight, I suspect."

Meanwhile, in Co Antrim the Knockmore campus of Lisburn Institute was closed down In Omagh several streets were flooded and staff and customers had to be evacuated from a branch of Dunnes Stores when floods swept through.

One member of the management team said: "We are unable to clear up here because of the volume of water."

CAPTION(S):

I SPRAY: Man gets a soaking; WATER BABE: Woman is forced to abandon her car; POUR ME: Floods at Raphoe Royal Secondary School, Co Donegal; POT LUCK: Norman Holmes in his garden centre in Raphoe; MAN THE PUMPS: Ladas Drive in East Belfast; HELP: Girl carried to safety; Let's hope YOUR house wasn't ruined, mate; TORRENTIAL: Family is caught in flood on Park Road, Belfast, yesterday; CLEAN-UP: Primrose Street, off Belfast's Ormeau Road; MISERY: Girl is left to battle the rising water