Regional Community Resilience Group
The Regional Community Resilience Group (RCRG) was formed in 2013 to help local communities prepare for and respond to weather related emergencies.
The group brings together Multi-Agency Partner Organisations from government, utilities and the voluntary sector to work for and with Communities at Risk of Severe Weather.
Bi-annual newsletters are produced to highlight important developments to enhance community resilience, provide an opportunity for communities to share experiences to the benefit of others and highlight key responder contacts to help readers to Get Weather Ready!
The Department for Infrastructure along with other multi-agency partners have established over 50 Regional Community Resilience Groups (RCRG) across Northern Ireland at locations which have experienced historical flooding. The Department continues to expand, both the number of groups and our engagement with these communities to better assist them during periods of flooding. The map details the location of all the existing groups and contact details on how members of the public can join their local RCRG.
Help to protect your home from flooding
Recent changing weather patterns are bringing warmer temperatures, heavier rainfall and, as a result, an increase in flooding and flood risk. There are a number of changes you can make to your home to help reduce the impacts from flood damage. These will help reduce the time and cost of doing home repairs after flooding happens. Further information and some useful tips are available here: How to protect your home from flooding | nidirect
Sandbags are a good way to reduce flood water damage by acting as a barrier to moving water around instead of through buildings. However this will only work for short periods unless you use them in conjunction with a plastic sheet and when properly filled and placed. The Department has produced a short video to demonstrate how to quickly and effectively lay sandbags in order to provide additional protection for your property.
Following a flood event, if sandbags are unused or did not come into contact with any water, they can be kept in a dry shady place so they can be used again if needed in the future. The bag material normally breaks down over time and will perish if left in place for a long time. You should empty sacks and keep them dry for re-use. Store the sand in your garden or yard for future use. After a flood - clearing up | nidirect provides useful information on safely clearing up after a flood including advice on safe disposal of sandbags and other items.
The sandbags are housed in secure containers which are managed by the RCRG groups.
Members of the public can find their local RCRG group here: Community Resilience Groups – Google My Maps
The wider general public can also purchase sandbags at their local hardware store.
This video showcases the work of the Regional Community Resilience Group who bring together many agencies and people to deal with the impact of climate change in local areas.
You can view the full video below or a shorter version.