First emergency relief payments made to traders in Midleton following floods 

THE FIRST emergency relief payments have been made to traders in Midleton whose businesses were devastated in Storm Babet flooding just two weeks ago, The Echo can confirm.

Traders in the East Cork town met yesterday morning where some frustration was expressed over the application process for emergency relief funding for businesses and the speed of the response from the Irish Red Cross on the applications.

The town’s business community is anxious to get up and trading as soon as possible, particularly ahead of the busy Christmas period.

However, the Irish Red Cross confirmed to The Echo that the first emergency relief payments were made to businesses this week and were turned around in two days.

Concerns over application process 

At yesterday’s meeting, traders pointed out that a number of application forms were returned to them as “incorrect”.

Midleton Chamber of Commerce president Adrianna Hegarty said this had been noted and a clinic was being set up in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Office to advise traders about the documentation they would need to access the funding.

Two separate funds are available — an emergency flooding relief fund which offers an initial payment of €5,000 and further payments up to €20,000 and an enhanced emergency relief fund with an initial payment of up to €10,000 and a possible total of up to €100,000 available.

This funding is intended for traders who cannot get insurance because the flood protection scheme is not in place in Midleton yet.

Positive interaction with Red Cross 

Ms Hegarty told The Echo that the group’s interaction with the Irish Red Cross had been positive.

“The Chamber of Commerce was in touch with the Red Cross this week and put a number of questions to the Red Cross relating to the application process and each of these was answered,” said the Chamber President yesterday.

“They confirmed to us today that they have paid out money,” said Ms Hegarty.

More than 30 applications received 

A spokesperson for the Irish Red Cross confirmed to The Echo that 35 forms had been received and a number of these had been sent back because one or other documents that was requested hadn’t been forwarded.

“We have been liaising constantly with the Midleton Chamber of Commerce (and Local Enterprise Centre), for which we are very grateful, and have responded back to them on any technical questions they have put to us from businesses in Midleton.

“We have been told by businesses that the application forms are not onerous and are very straightforward and the reason for the information required is that we are handling public money on behalf of the Government and there has to be due process, this is taxpayers’ money and care needs to be taken.

“Already the first five payments from claims from completed forms have been paid and indeed were turned around in only two working days on our side — which also includes a step that the local authorities are responsible for, namely the verification of the existence of the business which only they can do locally.”

The spokesperson confirmed that of the applications for emergency relief funding received, 16 were described as incomplete and required further information but along with the five already paid, two other applications were ready for payment while bank details were awaited from a further four applicants.

Four applicants have been verified by the local authority and bank account information was awaited while five applicants had provided all required details but verification was required from the local authority.

A further seven applicants were “on hold” as clarification on specifics in their applications was awaited from the Department of Enterprise.

Colette Barry, who works in the Chamber of Commerce office in Midleton, said that the new clinic will open next Tuesday and would be available on demand.

She said the office had already received a number of requests for appointments.

“We’re telling people to submit any documentation that’s needed that was holding up things as people were forgetting to attach the documentation. I think it will run very smoothly from here on out and I can see where people might have been frustrated.”