Fianna Fáil TD Shay Brennan has urged Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to apply for Emergency Response Payments to support residents whose homes have been directly affected by Storm Chandra.
The Emergency Response Payment is designed to assist affected homeowners by providing financial support to people whose properties have been damaged by flooding or extreme weather and who need to meet urgent costs for essentials, household items and structural repairs.
Deputy Brennan has informed the council that it must request access to the funding from the Department of Social Protection and has encouraged the Department to work closely with the local authority to ensure payments can be delivered without delay.
Speaking on the issue, Deputy Brennan said the Department is moving quickly to issue emergency response funding to local authorities to provide support to people living in properties directly affected by Storm Chandra.
“Under the first stage of the scheme, the focus is on addressing needs in the immediate aftermath of emergency events. It provides support to cover urgent and essential costs such as food, clothing, bedding and other personal items needed straight away,” he said.
“Given the scale of damage the storm has caused, it should be a priority for the County Council to engage with the Department. Families will be in immediate need of these payments in the coming days.
“It is essential that those impacted by these serious conditions have access to the basic supports they need. In circumstances like this, the response must be fast and effective.”
He confirmed that he will continue to engage with both the Department and the council to ensure access to the payments is secured quickly and that there are no unnecessary delays.
Deputy Brennan also encouraged anyone experiencing hardship because of the storm or in immediate need of support to contact his office at shay.brennan@oireachtas.ie.
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