Compensation available for homes and businesses hit by floods
The Department of Social Protection is establishing emergency clinics to help people to claim compensation if their homes or businesses have been damaged in the recent floods.
Parts of Limerick city in particular have been flooded as water levels in the River Shannon continue to rise.
"Staff are proactive, they're calling to the houses affected and providing, at this stage, immediate support to them," said Assistant Secretary Helen Faughnan.
"For example, today our staff will be in touch with people affected, for example in Corbally, or in Maynooth.
"We've set up emergency clinics in a number of areas - in Ballinasloe, in Crossmolina, and we're looking at setting up ones in Gort, Athlone, Limerick and Ennis as needs be."
The Irish Red Cross' Paul Anderson has said that businesspeople in small enterprises affected by the recent flooding can avail of emergency funding to help with the clean up.
"They just go to redcross.ie, and they'll see that there's a page explaining what to do," he said.
"You simply download the form, you have to sign it, you send it back to the Irish Red Cross either by email or conventional post.
"We will send it on to the Local Authority. There'll be a very, very brief check to unsure that your premises was flooded, and if you meet the criteria then we would be very hopeful that we can get out to you up to €5,000 before Christmas."
Minister of State Simon Harris will be in Bandon and Skibbereen, Co Cork tomorrow to meet local representatives and communities to discuss flood relief measures and other issues arising from the current severe weather.
