Call to overhaul aid system as memory of 2009 flooding of Cork still alive

A community activist who is still supporting victims of the devastating 2009 flood in Cork has called for a complete overhaul of the State’s humanitarian flood aid system to ensure vital funds can be fast-tracked.

Barry Keane, a residents spokesman who helped flood-ravaged residents of the city’s Mardyke area in the wake of the 2009 disaster, said red-tape must be eliminated to ensure financial aid gets quickly to those most in need.

He said the emergency funding system introduced in Cork at the time, where a special Lord Mayor’s fund was established involving the Red Cross and the St Vincent de Paul, should be replicated at national level.