The Government wants to expedite the planning process for the introduction of flood relief schemes, Minister of State Mary Butler has said.
She was speaking during a visit to Passage East in Co Waterford where 20 homes were impacted by flooding due to the recent inclement weather.
It comes as Status Yellow rainfall warnings are in place for eight counties in the south and east, with Met Éireann warning further heavy rain will lead to river flooding and difficult travel conditions.
A fresh warning came into effect for counties Dublin, Louth and Wicklow at 6am, and will remain in place until 9pm.
It follows a warning for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork and Waterford in place since 9pm last night, and which will remain in place until 3pm.
The forecaster has said further heavy rain falling on ground already saturated from a week of rain following Storm Chandra will lead to localised flooding.
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— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) February 3, 2026
ℹ️Check with your local authority on potential local flood risks & our web/app on further weather updates⬇️https://t.co/w5QtJ1UyEPhttps://t.co/itZWaoDj9Ahttps://t.co/d4K1ltldih pic.twitter.com/ffhWfz7z05
Minister Butler said that there is a lot of annoyance and frustration amongst people at the length of time it takes to get a flood relief process in place.
She also said that the Government is looking in general at cutting the red tape for planning issues in relation to development.
She said that more preparations could have been put in place by Waterford City and County Council to lessen or prevent such an incident occurring.
'Very high' risk of flooding, warns NECG
The National Emergency Coordination Group (NECG) has warned the risk of flooding across the east and southeast regions is "very high" in the coming days as further heavy rain is forecast.
NECG chairperson Keith Leonard said peak levels of rainfall would be seen today, adding that emergency services and local authorities are on alert.
Cork County Council yesterday echoed advice from Met Éireann, warning there is "a higher risk of runoff and localised flooding" due to recent heavy rainfall and waterlogged soils.
The council said its severe weather assessment team "is monitoring conditions closely", adding that crews are on standby.
Fingal County Council said sandbags have been placed along the Liffey from the Strawberry Beds to Laraghcon to help reduce any potential impacts in the area.
It said it is also "keeping a close eye on river levels and coastal conditions".
South Dublin County Council said "all available crews are on call to respond to any issues with trucks preloaded with sandbags, for distribution if needed".
It comes as Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the National Emergency Coordination Group and senior government ministers will meet to review warning systems for weather events.
"That's something we will be examining," he said.
"There will be an overview of our systems and the framework that we have at the moment that deals with major events of this kind," he added.
