Some 133 people have received payments under the Government’s rapid response scheme following flood damage during Storm Chandra, with an average payment of €613 per person.
Last month, the Department of Social Protection announced the Emergency Response Payment (formerly the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme) would be available to provide support to those living in properties directly affected by the storm.
The payment provides “immediate financial support to people whose homes are damaged by flooding or other severe weather events and who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and, in some instances, structural repair”.
In response to a query from The Irish Times, the department confirmed that payments under the scheme totalling just over €81,500 had been issued to 133 people as of February 10th.
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The majority of these claims were from householders in Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow, which were among the counties worst affected by the flooding.
The payments were for stage one of the scheme and came to an average of just €613 per person.
The payment helps meet the cost of essential needs and repairs, rather than full compensation for losses or damage. It does not cover “damage or losses that are insured under home insurance policies or would be reasonably expected to be insured”.
The rate of payment depends on the extent of the damage and a person’s ability to meet the cost of repairs.
Applications for stage one closed on Wednesday, February 4th. Applications for stage two “continue to be received and are being assessed”.
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Speaking to The Irish Times this week, Bobby Nolan, owner of the Clontarf Baths in Dublin, which was severely damaged by coastal flooding, said he intends to apply for stage two of the scheme but had not yet done so because he was still having professionals come to assess the cost of the damage in order to submit a full report.
He anticipates overall damage costs of €50,000 “at a minimum”, saying everything had been “destroyed”.
During the clean-up, he said the damage was “soul-destroying”.
“I opened here on June 30th, 2018, and I’ve never experienced anything like it,” he said. “It’s wiped out the plant room, it’s wiped out the lift. Everything is gone underwater. All our benches, our race lanes, our ladders, our steps, everything is destroyed.”
In stage two of the scheme, people can apply for financial support to replace so-called white goods – appliances such as washing machines and fridges – as well as furniture and other essential household items. This stage in the process is income tested.
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When applying, a person must outline “a valid reason” why these items were not covered by insurance and “demonstrate that it is essential that the items are replaced and that they do not have the financial resources to cover these costs themselves”.
Johan Keating, whose home on Ballybetagh Road in Kilternan, south Dublin was flooded up to 20cm deep in some places, including with sewage that had nowhere to go because of the rain, said he was also still assessing the damage, but intended to apply to the scheme.
There was “a lot of information” required and the process was overwhelming, he said.
Applications for stage two will close three months after the event in question. Applications for stage three will close six months after the event.
