Humanitarian aid for flood-hit victims to move home

The Government is set to pay for victims of the Christmas 2015 floods whose properties remain at risk of being badly damaged again to move homes under a once-off multi-million euro housing relocation scheme.

Junior minister for flood relief Sean Canney confirmed the move yesterday after a private cabinet row over its scope, saying the new system is designed to protect people who have effectively been abandoned by the insurance sector.

In the aftermath of the Christmas 2015 floods, thousands of people in the west of Ireland had their homes devastated by intense storms and rain which saw the Shannon, Lee and other rivers burst their banks.

The worst affected communities were those living near the rivers and on flood plains, with many seeing their homes effectively made uninhabitable.

For the past 14 months, those affected have repeatedly called for Government intervention due, in part, to the fact that insurance firms have largely rejected their calls for insurance cover due to the significant risk of floods occurring again.

And, after initially seeing a proposed plan rejected by the cabinet after intense criticism from Climate Action Minister Denis Naughten, junior minister for flood relief Sean Canney yesterday said those affected will now be helped.

In a statement after cabinet yesterday, Mr Canney said anyone whose home was left “uninhabitable” by the storms between December 4, 2015, and January 13, 2016, and whose property remains at “significant risk” of further floods will be given funding to move homes.

He said the “humanitarian aid” will be given to anyone who can prove they will continue to be badly affected by storms and floods regardless of what other protections are put in place, and who will need to move homes. The “once-off” re-location plan came after Mr Naughten last week rejected the proposal and strongly criticised Mr Canney for the limited nature of the initial move.

As previously reported by the Irish Examiner, Mr Naughten criticised the potential cost and limited scope of the scheme, leading to Taoiseach Enda Kenny intervening to delay the policy until the issues are resolved.