Fine Gael Cork North Central Deputy, Dara Murphy, has called for an emergency fund to be set up to assist residents and local businesses in Cork who have again been badly affected by floods which have ravaged the region.

“Not for the first time, Cork has been severely hit by floods that have done untold damage to property and personal belongings. Homes and businesses have been destroyed as result, leaving people with the unenviable task of rebuilding lives and livelihoods.

“While there is a range of payments that available to those who have been affected, the people of Cork have once again paid a heavy price for what is now considered the wettest June on record. Exceptional Needs Payments (ENP) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNP) are available to meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure. Emergency payments are also available to cover the cost of food, clothing, fuel and household goods.  

“However, some people are experiencing their second, third or fourth exposure to floods. I have raised the need for the establishment of an emergency fund for small local business owners who have again been hit, with the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan TD. In the same way that a Humanitarian Assistance Scheme of up to €10 million was established after the Dublin floods to provide means-tested financial support to those who suffered damage, I will be calling for the same deal for Cork.

“I will also be asking the City/County Manager to consider a commercial rates holiday for Blackpool village, Glanmire and others affected areas.

“It is my understanding that the Lee Catchment Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study (CFRAMS) to examine the different types of flooding in Cork City is near completion. This should give an overview of what exactly we are dealing with and why Cork continues to be so badly exposed.

”An assessment of the smaller rivers and streams around the city must also be carried out as in three separate locations; Blackpool, Ballyvolane and Glanmire, the rivers and streams proved incapable of carrying the flow of the excessive rain water.

“I welcome the fact that the Government has committed €45 million in the capital budget to 2016 for flood defences. We must now get to grips with the hows and the whys associated with the continual flooding of Cork so that we can prevent such atrocities from occurring again in the future.”