Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I commend all those who responded so quickly at a local and national level to the terrible devastation caused by the flooding and rain in recent days. We have all witnessed the way in which Government agencies, community groups and volunteers have worked together to try to alleviate the problems experienced by people. Today, I met the emergency co-ordinating team which draws on everyone from Met Éireann to the Army and others. They are working around the clock to ensure we can anticipate where further difficulties may arise and to examine the impact of everything from the rainfall to the control of the water at ESB and other co-ordination issues.

The response is being seen and people on the ground appreciate it. One can talk about walls and bridges and dams, etc., but this is a human story. It has an impact on individuals and their families who have lost their belongings and whose homes have been affected. My Department, through the community welfare officers, is conscious of that. I acknowledge the fact that the community welfare officers in the affected areas did not go on strike today. They were available and set up special clinics to give people assistance.

The emergency needs payments and the urgent needs payments have existed for some time but in a case like this, one sees the demand and the response. People were immediately able to get financial assistance for things such as food and bedding and receive accommodation. We saw examples of the community welfare officers being able to provide temporary accommodation for up to 50 families in Cork, 74 families in Limerick and 120 families in Clonmel. The response was very swift without any form filling or bureaucracy. People say that is the last thing one needs when one is hit with such a crisis.

Other practical support was available, for example, families received dehumidifiers to try to dry out their houses. Our community welfare officers are there and able to give out this money. The fund is not confined nor is it a determined amount of money, but it is available to meet the needs of families and their homes. We recognise that only when the floods abate and the rain stops will we see the real extent of the devastation when people go back into their homes and start rebuilding their lives. Then they will realise what needs to be replaced. There will be some who do not have insurance and we want to reach to them. That is why the Government announced the humanitarian fund today to provide assistance. It starts at €10 million.

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