A multi-million euro flood relief and humanitarian assistance scheme for those affected by the flooding was announced by Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan today.
The Government will make an investment of €70 million “to help those affected by recent flooding and fund work to minimise the risks of future incidents,” Mr Lenihan said.
He said a review of investment priorities would be published shortly, adding that the Government would be keeping the situation under review and would commit further resources as required.
“The recent flooding has brought severe hardship on communities in the affected parts of the country,” he said.
Reacting to the news, Cork Chamber of Commerce chief executive, Conor Healy, said the Government had “completely underestimated” the impact of the floods.
“The estimated damage caused by the floods in Cork alone is in the region of €100 million and we are calling on the Government to extend the relief package to affected businesses immediately,” he said.