In €3 Flood Aid Hit Bulk Businesses Cork Of 25m Get

Flood-hit Cork businesses get bulk of €3.25m in aid — Flooding Storm O'hare The As Wake And The Carrigtwohill Badly In Affected Of Particularly Babet, Picture; That By Midleton Came Glanmire Was Were Eddie

Tue, 26 Dec, 2023 - 12:53

Pádraig Hoare

Just over €3.25m has been distributed to 164 businesses affected by floods caused during Storm Babet, with hundreds more being assessed.

Applications to the emergency flood relief schemes in the aftermath of the October storms have now closed, with almost three quarters of claims coming from Cork, where the likes of Midleton, Glanmire, and Carrigtwohill saw extensive damage caused.

The Irish Red Cross was tasked by the Government to administer two emergency flood relief schemes to Midleton, which saw up to 250 homes and businesses with no flood insurance cover damaged by Storm Babet in October, as well as other areas including West Waterford and Kilkenny.

• Scheme B applies to a single initial €10,000 towards the cost of the damage, which can then be followed by payments of up to €100,000 after an assessment by a professional appointed by the Irish Red Cross.

• Scheme A deals with smaller payments of €5,000 initially, with further payments up to €15,000 following assessment.

According to the Red Cross, some 164 applicants have been paid around €3.27 between them so far.

There were 359 applications at the time of deadline, with the Red Cross anticipating some late entries while allowing for postage delays and other issues that may arise.

As of mid-December, 75 applicants have received their full payment and their claims are now complete, the Red Cross said, with 28 applicants receiving their first initial payments.

Their files have been sent to an assessor who has set an appointment date with all businesses to carry out an assessment before a second payment is made.

Barman Danny McCarthy was delighted to be serving up pints as the bar of Sarsfields Hurling Club reopened just before Christmas. See link below for more photos from the reopening. Picture: Chani Anderson

Some 61 applicants have received their first initial payments and their files will now be prepared to send to an assessor, the Red Cross said.

Payments so far have been in the majority in Cork, with some in Galway, Louth and Waterford, the aid agency added.

Midleton Chamber of Commerce and the local enterprise office (LEO) have been assisting businesses in their applications,

Midleton Chamber set up a business advice clinic with the LEO following the flooding that is run out of its office, offering private sittings for assistance in filling out forms, in light of the incomplete applications that have been received by the Irish Red Cross.

The Red Cross said the assistance offered by Midleton Chamber and the LEO “has been invaluable” as it got to grips with the hundreds of claims.

The community in Glanmire and across Cork has since come to the rescue of the Cork county hurling champions Sarsfields after its pitch and facilities were wrecked during the flooding, according to club chairman Keith Mulcahy.

The club opened its gates to relieve the water pressure when houses across the road from it were getting flooded, with the resulting deluge causing massive damage.

Rebuilt facilities will open in the new year thanks to the collective effort, Mr Mulcahy said.