Northern Ireland flooding: Staff praised for Marble Arch Caves evacuation during dramatic flash floods during Met Office weather warning
A woman has said she would not be put off from visiting the Marble Arch Caves after they were evacuated during dramatic flash flooding.
Kim and Alistair Hay, a married couple from Co Donegal living in Tyrone, visited the popular tourist attraction in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh on Sunday afternoon.
A yellow-level thunderstorm warning was in place for the western half of Northern Ireland at the time.
The couple had made a last-minute decision to visit the famous limestone caves in order to avoid the rain.
“When we saw that the showers were maybe headed in that direction, I thought ‘Well, where better to go to get out of the rain and not get wet than a cave tour?'” she told the PA news agency.
“Little did I know we wouldn’t come out of there dry!”
As part of the safety briefing, their tour group of around 17 people was warned that the power can occasionally cut out.
When the power did go out, generators kicked in quickly, Mrs Hay said.
Around minutes into the tour, the guide was told over the radio that there was torrential rainfall above ground.
The group was directed towards the exit stairwell, where videos captured by the Hay couple show rainwater gushing down the steps into the cave system.
“So we all knew we were going to get wet, but again, getting a bit of water on us wasn’t going to kill us.
“My friend laughed, she said ‘You were holding on tight to your (Chanel) handbag’, I said ‘you’re right, I was!'”
She said because the guides were so calm, “fast-thinking” and had a plan, they did not panic.
“The team was amazing, I don’t think at any point that we feared for our lives,” Mrs Hay told PA.
She said that two children on the tour were a bit frightened, but their parents and guides assured them that they were safe.
The couple posted dramatic video footage of their escape on their social media accounts (@Our_emeraldhome).
“Once we got out, they were bringing blankets for people and towels, and they actually were giving everybody free Marble Arch Caves hoodies so they could get out of their wet clothes, and giving us tea and coffee.”
When asked whether she would be reluctant to visit again, she said: “I wouldn’t, because it was a freak thing that happened.
“We were speaking to the manager, she came and talked to us after and she reassured everyone that in her 20 years of working there, she had never seen anything like that before.
“It was quite the experience.”
She added: “I think it was definitely one of those things where you can just look back and be very thankful that everybody got out safe, nobody was injured.
“On reflection, I think the more we watch the video ourselves, the more we realise it could have went horribly wrong, except for the fast, quick action of the staff getting everybody out to safety.”
When asked for a statement, the Marble Arch Caves said the flash flood took place due to a “sudden and intense” rainfall and surface runoff into the cave system.
“Thanks to the swift action of our trained team, all visitors inside the cave at the time were safely guided out of the caves to the visitor centre, where they were provided with warm refreshments and dry clothing.
“This was a highly unusual weather event; one that has not occurred here before.
“The safety of our visitors and staff remains our top priority.
“The caves remain flooded and safety checks are ongoing. Cave tours remain cancelled until further notice.
“Those with bookings will be contacted by a member of the Marble Arch Caves team to rearrange or provide a refund.
“We thank our visitors for their calm co-operation and our staff for their professionalism during yesterday’s weather-related incident.”