Published: Wednesday, 17th February, 2010 5:30pm

Red Cross to assess Athlone flood claims

A total of 15% of applications made to the Irish Red Cross Flood Relief Fund came from people with addresses in counties Westmeath and Roscommon.

Of those, 13% came from Westmeath, while only 2% came from applicants living in Roscommon.

The Irish Red Cross stated on Monday that over half of all applications to its Flood Relief Fund have been assessed already, following the deadline for receipt of all application forms on February 5.

They will be eligible for part of the €1.1 million raised by the Red Cross since the floods last November.

One week on from the deadline, over 200 applications have been independently assessed, and it is intended that all monies will be paid out from the fund by early March. Independent assessors are meeting individually with people in Athlone to assess the damage caused by the floods and will then decide on payments.

"All applications are being individually assessed by independent assessors. This involves a one to one meeting with the applicant and, where possible, a visit to the affected property.

If the assessor deems there to be genuine need, a payment will be made," said Pia Ward, Communications Manager with the Irish Red Cross.

"It is not possible to state an average payment at present as the assessment process is ongoing.

Payment amounts will be decided taking into account the severity of damage involved," she added.

In total, the Irish Red Cross received over 450 applications for assistance from its Flood Relief Fund.