Date: 28 Nov 2024
Minister secures Government approval to open Emergency Humanitarian Flooding Scheme for Small Businesses affected by Storm Bert
The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Peter Burke TD today (27 November 2024) secured Government approval to open the Emergency Humanitarian Support Scheme for small businesses, sports clubs, community and voluntary organisations unable to secure flood insurance and affected by recent flooding in Counties Cork, Donegal, Galway and Kerry and any other counties affected by Storm Bert over the weekend.
The Minister said:
“We are making this funding available to give urgent assistance to those that were unable, despite their best efforts, to get insurance, to help with the costs of repairing the damage.
“I hope this funding will go some way towards helping those businesses get back up and running as quickly as possible.
“As with similar flooding events in the past, the Irish Red Cross will administer and make payments under the Scheme on behalf of my department”.
The scheme is a humanitarian support payment towards the costs of returning small businesses, sporting, voluntary and community premises to their pre-flood condition including the replacement of flooring, fixtures and fittings and damaged stock where relevant.
This financial support is targeted at small businesses (up to 20 employees), sports clubs and community and voluntary organisations and will have two stages:
- The first stage will commence immediately and will provide a contribution of up to €5,000, depending on the scale of damage incurred. It is anticipated that this will meet the needs of the majority of those affected. The intention is to process payments as fast as possible.
- In the event that the premises has incurred significant damages above €5,000, businesses can apply for additional financial support, following an assessment by the Irish Red Cross. The total level of support available for both stages combined is capped at €20,000.
Application forms for support are available on the Irish Red Cross website: https://www.redcross.ie/flood/
The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday 9 January 2025.
