People were seeking temporary refuge tonight after being rescued by boats from flooded homes in Belfast following hours of torrential rainfall.
Some 130 homes in the Lower Ormeau area were affected when drains and sewers failed to cope with the deluge.
Water and sewage was up to four feet deep and residents complained houses were also without electricity. The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service took six people to safety by dingy.
Divisional officer Ken Leathem said: "With waters rising to three and four feet the Specialist Rescue Team was deployed with a search and rescue boat to bring a family of two adults and two children to safety from their home in Cooke Street.
"A man who uses a wheelchair was also brought to the safety of his relatives by our Firefighters from his Balfour Avenue Home. "In a third flooding related incident in the Lower Ormeau area another man was also rescued from his car."
Children in a local playgroup had to be carried through raw sewage to safety by their teacher during the heaviest of the rainfall.
Most of the flooding was centred around south Belfast but there were other problems in the east of the city. Counties Down and Antrim were also badly affected and many roads were closed because of flood water.
The M2 motorway heading out of Belfast between Greencastle and Sandyknowes was closed for a period due to flooding. Water Service squads were out across the city helping in the clean up.
But the Service's chiefs were asked why the Lower Ormeau community was again suffering flooding after being promised it would never happen again.
South Belfast MP, Dr Alasdair McDonnell said he was seeking answers to why River Terrace in particular had suffered again. The SDLP deputy leader, who went to the scene and spoke of what he called horrendous conditions.