Compensation amounting to €2.2m out of a €10m fund has been paid out to homeowners affected by flooding in the last four years under a Government humanitarian assistance scheme.

At least one person is making hay while it pours: One of the country’s main retailers of flood barriers.

It’s all “sympathy, encouragement, and photo shoots”, but it’s time we saw the colour of the minister’s money, said the mayor of Clare after Simon Coveney visited storm-damaged parts of the county yesterday.

Improved river defences, facilities for storing floodwater, and changes to the way that Cork’s dams operate are some of the proposals to be examined as part of the city’s €100m flood relief programme.

Insurance customers who are being refused insurance because they live close to a river — even though they live on a steep incline — should be using insurance brokers to fight their cause.

Swollen rivers and today’s rolling storm front have left many inland towns on high flood alert.

One of the deceits, one of the by-now unsupported imaginings that defines our notion of ourselves is that we are all pretty alert to the rhythms of nature, that we have a special empathy with the physical world around us. Most of us, are after all, just a generation or two, maybe three now, away from the family farm.

Clare County Council is reporting that all river systems throughout the county are “very elevated” following continued heavy rainfall in recent weeks.

The Government has committed to spend at least €50m on a flood defence scheme for Cork City, with preferred engineering options due to be published in July.

The minister in charge of the Government’s response to the flooding crisis has said it cannot solve all the problems but it will limit the impact on those who have been affected.

Enough reports — we need action now.

Music shop Pro-Musica has been trading on Oliver Plunkett St for 30 years — but Tuesday night was the worst flooding they had seen in some time.

Clonakilty reopened for business just hours after floods again ran through the centre of the town.

Work is under way to establish a rapid response volunteer corps to help flood victims in Cork.

Cork’s embattled business community is demanding a clear commitment of government funds for flood defences in the city as it emerges that the bill for this week’s flooding will top €50m.

Recent days and weeks have been more than challenging for those affected by the floods — and, as the weather forecasters have warned, that challenge is far from over.