Businesses worst affected by serious flooding in Northern Ireland in recent months can now apply for up to £100,000 (€115,000) to help with the cost of refits and repairs.
Scores of firms in Newry, Downpatrick and Portadown were affected by heavy flooding in late October and early November with some saying their losses had run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Stormont's Executive Office said a fund had now been established to which they could apply for help with the cost of refitting flooding premises.
"We want to provide support that will help businesses to re-open and resume trading or remain open and continue trading and to help secure the economic future of the town centres affected by the flooding, " a spokesperson said.
Northern Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris announced that £15m (€17m) would be made available to businesses and this fund is part of that money.
The support will be linked to the actual costs of replacing damaged equipment and repairs to damaged buildings.
To qualify businesses must have been open and trading on the date of the flooding; have been unable to obtain flood insurance or have since been refused a pay out on their flood insurance; and must resume trading in the same town centre.
The funding will be distributed by district councils on behalf of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Business affected have already been given an emergency payment of £7,500 (€8,600) and been told they are eligible for rates relief.
The news of the repair fund means that support for affected businesses in Northern Ireland is equivalent to that offered to firms in the Republic after recent flooding in places such as Cork, Kerry and Waterford.
There had been criticism that similar supports were not immediately available in Northern Ireland and that it was taking time to design a similar scheme.
