People in East Cork ‘still waiting’ for pay on Storm Babet claims

There are people in East Cork still waiting for assistance from the Government and payment regarding claims made to insurance companies for damage caused during Storm Babet.

The storm caused extensive flooding in Midleton and the surrounding hinterland in October, 2023, Sinn Féin TD Pat Buckley has said.

The Cork East representative was speaking following reports that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe had written to insurance companies asking them to “treat policy holders fairly and expediently in the context of any such claims”.

However, Mr Buckley said, while insurance companies need to pay on claims as rapidly as possible, the Government should lead by example by paying claims made by those seeking humanitarian assistance after the damage caused by Storm Babet, without undue delay.

“If you pay an insurance premium, whether it’s for flooding, storm damage, or whatever, surely the insurance company should be paying out,” said Mr Buckley.

“Storm Éowyn has been the worst storm in living memory, but we also had Storm Babet, and I’m aware of many people in my constituency who are still waiting for payments.

“I’m aware of one in particular who’s had to hire a solicitor to take on the insurance company. I’ve seen the damage to the property, it’s a total write-off, and I think it’s very unfair that some insurance companies can pick and choose whether to pay out on any claims.

“These policies are probably taken out of necessity but also, if something does go wrong, you have paid in good faith to an insurance company and surely that company should pay out as rapidly as they can. It’s not happening everywhere, unfortunately.”

Mr Buckley said that the Government had been slow to make humanitarian assistance payments to those impacted after Storm Babet.

“There are people still fighting — I’m aware that people who purchased homes within council estates, when the humanitarian aid was distributed, those who owned their houses weren’t facilitated at all, not even skips,” he said.

“The emergency services, the volunteers were amazing, but the Government should lead by example. If they’re calling on insurance companies to pay out after Storm Éowyn, surely the Government can come up with a plan for the damage that was done in East Cork during Storm Babet. Then you have issues where some work has been done on flood prevention gates for housing. If you had kept the water out of your house even if next door was flooded, you’re not getting a flood prevention gate in the same estate, next door. The common-sense approach is being lost as well.”

The Department of Social Protection was contacted for comment.