Electricity was restored to all but 20 houses in Drumcondra, Dublin, by last night, after extensive flooding had caused a loss of power to about 250 homes.
The remaining houses were unoccupied and could not be reconnected until the residents returned. Dublin City Council yesterday appealed to householders to return to their homes as soon as possible.
Council officials, ESB crews, Civil Defence and Order of Malta members worked through the weekend as the cost of Thursday's and Friday's floods was counted.
Details of the Government's humanitarian flood relief package, being administered by the Irish Red Cross, will be revealed today, and application forms will be available from Dublin City Council and the Red Cross. The form is also available on the Irish Red Cross website at www.redcross.ie.
Applicants for aid will need to prove hardship under one or more of the following headings: death, serious injury, homelessness, damage to home, loss of income or extreme hardship. The Irish Red Cross Flood Relief Scheme can be contacted on the freephone number 1800 923 424.
The Department of Justice provided emergency accommodation for 72 people in its centre at Balseskin near Dublin Airport on Thursday night. That number had fallen to the low 30s yesterday.
The clean-up operation was in full swing in Drumcondra yesterday as city council lorries collected debris from outside houses.
There was a steady stream of callers to the council's drop-in centres in the Cat and Cage pub in Drumcondra and in Ballybough. More than 200 people called to each on Saturday for advice on insurance, electricity and other issues. Community welfare officers from the Northern Area Health Board were on hand to give immediate financial assistance to those in most need.
"Some people have lost all their clothes," said Mr Paul Maloney, Dublin City Council manager for the central area. Others were without basics such as kettles, electric heaters or fridges. He said lessons had been learned since the Ringsend/East Wall area was flooded in February. Insurance assessors called to homes much quicker this time, he said, and the response from the Red Cross and the ESB was speedy.
Meanwhile, the council said the death of Mr James Savage (51) in a fire in Richmond Road on Saturday was not thought to be related to the floods.
