Press release

Social Welfare supports available to householders affected by severe flooding in Cork

From: Department of Social Protection
Published on: 18 August 2020
Last updated on: 16 December 2020

Staff from the Department of Social Protection are available today to support householders affected by the severe flooding in areas of Cork. The department’s Community Welfare Service officials are engaging with Cork County Council and will quickly assess the level of service required.

Social Protection Minister, Heather Humphreys TD, has said that the interagency response ensures that supports will be provided to those affected as quickly as possible. The Humanitarian Assistance scheme in the Minister’s department has been activated. As the clean-up operation begins, financial supports will be made available to the householders affected.

Anyone needing to make enquiries about the supports available to them can contact the department at (028) 21047 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm or email corkswa2020@welfare.ie

Minister Humphreys said:

"The officials in my department are working with local agencies in Cork to help those people whose homes have been affected by the severe flooding. The officials have been in contact with Cork County Council and have made themselves available to support those in the affected areas.

“The Humanitarian Assistance Scheme has been activated and I would urge families and individuals in need of assistance to contact their local Intreo Centre where our Community Welfare Service teams are available to assist with financial support."

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

Humanitarian Assistance Scheme

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is the lead department for severe weather emergencies and the Office of Public Works (OPW) has responsibility for capital flood relief activities. However, the Department of Social Protection has an important role in assisting households in the immediate aftermath of severe weather events such as flooding under the humanitarian assistance scheme.

The purpose of the humanitarian assistance scheme is to prevent hardship by providing income-tested financial support to people whose homes are damaged from flooding and severe weather events and who are not in a position to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repair.

Following a severe weather event, staff in the department’s Community Welfare Service, monitor the situation on the ground and engage with the relevant local authorities and other agencies to ensure supports are provided to those affected as quickly as possible. Emergency income support payments to cover essential items such as food, clothing and personal items are quickly issued in the immediate aftermath of the event. Financial supports towards the replacement of white goods, basic furniture items and other essential household items may take longer as it is not until the flood water abates and houses dry out that the full extent of the damage to homes will become known. The longer term financial support covers necessary remedial works and can include plastering, dry-lining, relaying of floors, electrical re-wiring and painting. It could take some months before this stage of the response is completed and final payments issue.