Red Cross Chairman David Andrews welcomes announcement

The announcement that the Red Cross will receive the balance of funds required is very welcome at this time. We are currently progressing with the distribution of funds to the victims of last February's floods and I'm pleased to learn that this €3.5 million will now be made available to us, said David Andrews.

To date 690 applications have been received for Humanitarian Aid. Of these 690, 93% came from private homes and 7% from businesses. 81% of the applications from households came from households in the Dublin area and most of these cheques have now been sent out.

Today's announcement brings the total allocation of Humanitarian Aid to €8.5 million. The Irish Red Cross Flood Relief Scheme was set-up upon request from the Minister for State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, Martin Cullen, immediately following the floods on 1 and 2 of February last.

While some applications were received from outside Dublin, most notably Louth/Meath and Wicklow, the vast bulk of the applications reflect the damage to high-density areas in Dublin's dockside communities. Close to three hundred applications have been received from the Ringsend/Irishtown areas and over two hundred applications have been received from the East Wall area on the northside.

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