Colleges, companies and State offer support to grieving families

Aer Lingus, Google, the Department of Foreign Affairs, USIT, UCD and IADT Dún Laoghaire are among companies and agencies offering support services to the families of those killed or injured when an apartment balcony collapsed during a student party in Berkeley, California.

Aer Lingus says it has offered undisclosed levels of assistance to the families. The airline operates a bereavement assistance programme for people travelling in such circumstances, but says its assistance to those involved would go beyond that.

The managing director of USIT, Dearbhla O’Brien, said USIT could help to repatriate the dead and injured. Holders of J-1 visas had mandatory insurance and she urged families to get in touch as cover would extend to medical expenses for those injured as well as the homeward expenses of people at the party who wished to return to Ireland. Two family members per affected student could also fly to the US under the policy.

Google staff at Mountain View in California have offered assistance with accommodation for families.

The US ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley said parents of the injured should not have to worry about the cost of medical care. Mr O’Malley told RTÉ radio: “I don’t think any of the physicians or nurses or staff will be concerned about their insurance coverage. They will get the very best care that is available and that is what is important for today.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs’s consulate team in San Francisco is providing grief counsellors at its incident centre set up at Berkeley City Hall .

A spokeswoman said the intention was to contact Irish students living and working in California who may be in shock. The centre will include facilities for people to make phone calls home and get support and practical assistance.

The University of California Berkeley has put its counselling services at the disposal of the Irish students in the area.

UCD president Prof Andrew Deeks said the college’s representative in San Francisco, Karina O’Neill, had been supporting the students in Berkeley and that senior chaplain Fr John Nerney was on his way to join her. UCD students union president Marcus O’Halloran said the union had welfare and advisory services available. Counselling services and space to gather have been laid on by IADT in Dún Laoghaire.