Extra €70m for flood repairs won’t be enough

Local authorities are to get €70m for flood repairs after the recent storms, but the fund will not stretch to all required works.

The money was promised after the Cabinet was briefed yesterday on the scale of the damage caused by the succession of storms that have battered the country since the end of last year. It comes on top of a €25m emergency fund sanctioned for humanitarian relief for people struggling to recover flooded homes and businesses.

The move was broadly welcomed, but with costs in Co Clare alone standing at €37m, and some estimates putting the total value of damage to infrastructure countrywide at around €100m, town and city councils face a battle to secure sufficient funds.

Clare Labour TD Michael McNamara said yesterday he looked forward to seeing how the national allocation was divided up.

“Today’s announcement of €70m will not solve all of the country’s storm problems, but is a very good response in the difficult economic circumstances in which we find ourselves.”

The announcement came as insurers said claims by home and business owners for flood and storm damage in December and January had already hit €46m.

Insurance Ireland said more than 5,800 household claims had been submitted, totalling around €19.5m, as well as 2,225 claims valued at €24m for damage to commercial properties and 560 claims for damage to cars, amounting to €2.5m.

Chief executive Kevin Thompson said he expected to reach agreement with the OPW in the coming weeks on access to flood defence data so insurance companies could better assess flood risks. “We are confident that we can reach agreement quickly with the OPW to enable the sharing of information which will help our members make flood insurance more widely available,” he said.

Irish-based international engineering firm Byrne Looby Partners urged the Government to set up a fund to enable home and business owners to retrofit their properties with flood defences.

Technical director Kieran Thornton said modifications could be made to gates, doors, and drains to help prevent water entering buildings, while the raising of electrical sockets and installation of water resistant surfaces and furnishings could limit damage when water did get inside.

Meanwhile, the Catholic and Church of Ireland bishops of Limerick have called for support for a flood relief fund established to assist the people of St Mary’s Parish, one of the most severely affected areas in the country.

The fund will be administered through the parish in association with the Society of St Vincent de Paul, which will also receive a direct contribution from the Catholic Diocese of Limerick and the Limerick Social Service Council.