The Minister said: "I have been in discussion with the Finance Minister and other colleagues in the Executive and we are in agreement that funding should be made available through local Councils to help people most severely affected to get back on their feet again and to assist them in ensuring their homes are habitable."
Arlene Foster said that the extra funding of up to £5million which the Executive was making available would be released to Councils as and when they had identified the most severe cases. She explained that her officials would be liaising with Councils to establish the extent of the need.
She said: "This week's flooding was unprecedented in its severity. While much of the damage to homes was localised, this is of no comfort to those affected. I well understand that people are looking for an exceptional response to an exceptional event, and in this case I and my Executive colleagues believe that this emergency funding will help people suffering genuine hardship and help them to get their homes back to normal."
