Britain is planning to request European Union emergency aid to help with reconstruction after flooding in central and western England at the beginning of the summer, a government minister said Wednesday. The EU emergency aid would be "a useful addition to the package of support we're already putting in place," said Communities and Local Government Minister John Healy, referring to 46 million pounds (68 million euros, 93 million dollars) that the government has committed to the aftermath of the flooding.
The government thinks it may be able to receive 100 million pounds from the EU, but the request may rise to 125 million pounds, depending on the costs of rebuilding.
The aid would be for Humberside, in northeast England, and York, in northern England, which were hit by floods in June, and for towns affected by more flooding last month along the Thames and Severn rivers.
The eventual amount of aid allotted to Britain will depend on the total cost of the damage to homes and local infrastructure, which insurers estimate at 2.5 billion pounds.
Damage must total at least 1.3 billion pounds for the European Union to consider providing emergency aid.
Source: Agence France-Presse
