The Government has announced details of a scheme to provide Emergency Flood Relief to Small Businesses and Community, Voluntary, and sporting Bodies affected by flooding which occurred as a result of Storm Babet during the period of 17th to 23rd October 2023.
The Irish Red Cross will administer the scheme, which has two options:
Scheme A: Emergency Business Flood Relief Scheme
A1) A single once-off contribution toward the damage of up to a maximum of €5,000.
A2) For overall damage that exceeds €5,000, a single initial contribution of €5,000 on the basis of this form submission and verification by the Local Authority. Plus further payments, are to be made up to a maximum of €15,000 to be made followed by an assessment by a professional assessor appointed by the Irish Red Cross.
Scheme B: Enhanced Emergency Business Flood Relief Scheme
Please Note – Applicants who apply for both B1 and B2 will be subject to an onsite assessment and further detailed evidence of damage. Businesses will be required to refund any overpayment.
B1) A single once-off contribution toward the damage of up to a maximum of €10,000.
B2) For overall damage that exceeds €10,000, a single initial contribution of €10,000 on the basis of this form submission and verification by the Local Authority. Further payments, plus validation of the initial €10,000 to be made up to a maximum of €100,000 to be made followed by an assessment by a professional assessor appointed by the Irish Red Cross.
CRITERIA FOR QUALIFICATION FOR PAYMENT UNDER THE SMALL BUSINESS SCHEME
(i) Only those small businesses that could not secure flood insurance through no fault of their own are eligible.
(ii) For the purpose of this scheme a small business will be defined as one with up to 20 employees.
(iii) The business premises must have been damaged during the flooding which occurred as a result of Storm Babet in the period 17th to 23rd October 2023. This fact must be verified by the relevant Local Authority.
(iv) At the time of the flood, the business must have been trading and in rateable premises. (where the premises is not subject to commercial rates, the applicant should supply a tax clearance certificate as supporting documentation, or where this is not available, a recent official document from Revenue showing the tax registration number of the business).
(v) A business operating from a place of residence that suffered damage and was uninsured may be eligible to claim from the scheme provided that specific documentation can be supplied and the Department of Social Protection Scheme has not been used to co-fund.
(vi) This scheme is not available to the farming community.
(vii) Landlords must supply a tax clearance certificate, a rental agreement, and in the case of a private tenancy confirmation of registration with the RTB at the date, the flooding occurred.
The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 1st December 2023. Return by post to Irish Red Cross, 16 Merrion Square, D02 XF85, or by email to emergencyflooding@redcross.ie
Further details can be found at https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/5393b-government-approves-emergency-business-flooding-schemes-for-small-businesses-and-other-organisations-damaged-by-storm-babet/
Applications can be found at https://www.redcross.ie/flood-support-scheme/
