Almost €480,000 in emergency flood relief funding for households and businesses paid out so far

Almost €480,000 has been paid out by the State in emergency flood relief funding for households and businesses so far this year, most of it in recent weeks as severe weather events battered the country.

Some €377,000 has been paid to 521 flood-hit householders with 471 of these payments, totaling €262,000, occurring since Storm Babet hit the south of the country last month.

Meanwhile, the amount of funding paid to businesses has grown to €100,000 in the last week with further payments expected to follow after damage assessments.

Overall the sum paid to households and businesses now stands at €477,000.

Householders can access a Humanitarian Assistance Scheme run by the Department of Social Protection which is funded to the tune of €13 million.

The scheme is open to people in Cork, Waterford, Louth and Wexford as a result of the flooding to homes in these counties in the last few weeks.

It is designed for people whose homes are damaged by flooding and severe weather events and who are unable to meet costs for essential needs, household items and structural repair.

The scheme is means-tested and does not cover losses already covered by insurance policies.

The Irish Red Cross (IRC) administers the Emergency Business Flood Relief Scheme on behalf of the Government with small businesses – that cannot secure flood insurance through no fault of their own – able to apply for help.

[ [ Midleton traders call on Cork council to provide early flood warning system for town ]

The IRC said that as of Friday evening some 58 applications for funding have been made and €100,000 has been paid out so far across 11 recipients.

Twenty-seven applications were said to be incomplete or require clarification from applicants.

There are different levels of funding on offer to small businesses under two schemes depending on the damage sustained. Some €100,000 set as the maximum sum an individual business can receive after an examination of the damage by a professional assessor appointed by the IRC.

Cormac McQuinn

Cormac McQuinn is a Political Correspondent at The Irish Times