Irish Red Cross raises €300k in floods appeal

The Irish Red Cross has estimated that it has raised over €300,000 so far for its flood relief operations.

The charity is aiming to raise €1m.

In Clane, Co. Kildare, local Red Cross volunteers evacuated residents and medical supplies at a local nursing home in association with the HSE Ambulance Service and other voluntary groups.

This operation involved one Irish Red Cross ambulance and was a precautionary evacuation due to the steadily rising water levels and increased threat of flooding.

There are two ambulances and one 4x4 vehicle on standby in Kildare, with good contingency plans in place.

Elsewhere in the Leinster region, hundreds of trained Irish Red Cross volunteers and around 15 ambulances, minibuses and 4x4 vehicles are prepared for callout in Dublin, Louth and Meath should the situation worsen.

In Galway, members of the Irish Red Cross have a 4x4 vehicle available to assist in the heavily-flooded village of Ardrahan, with further support also on standby from the Connemara area.

In Limerick, the Red Cross has written to the Crisis Management Teams in both the county and city, offering the services of 200 local members of the Red Cross and nine vehicles based in the county, including two 4x4 vehicles.

In Cork, Irish Red Cross volunteers have been on call and involved in extensive rescue operations since the beginning of the floods, helping hospital staff reach their workplaces, delivering meals on wheels to people stranded in their homes and providing blankets to those affected.

The south Tipperary town of Clonmel, has also been advised of Red Cross assistance, with members from the neighbouring areas of Waterford and Tipperary ready to assist if required.

Irish Red Cross volunteers and equipment in Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Wexford and Wicklow remain on standby and are in ongoing contact with the emergency services.

In Carlow, flooding in the Old Leighlin Bridge area has cleared, allowing access to an Irish Red Cross ambulance which was previously closed in by rising water levels.