A TOTAL OF €47.5 million is to be made available to areas whose infrastructure was badly hit by storms over the Christmas and New Year.
These are:
This funding relates to damage caused to public infrastructure up to 6 January this year. Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan said that letters confirming the funds had been sent out to these seven local authorities which were worst hit by the early phase of this winter’s storms.
Funding for damage to public infrastructure and property caused by storms after that date is yet to be decided. For the past two weeks, the National Directorate of Fire & Emergency Management has been working with local authorities to assess the cost of storms and floods from 27 January to 17 February this year.
It is expected that a decision on that additional funding will not be made until late March.
As well as that, requests for funding of new coastal protection works have been put in a separate pile and have to be assessed by the Office for Public Works (OPW) before funding levels are decided there.
Any funding directed by the Department towards local authorities is only to help repair and restore public works. It does not help those whose private property was harmed by the severe weather.
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