Five years after Storm Dennis more still needs to be done to protect communities from devastating floods

Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for South Wales Central

This weekend marks five years since communities across Wales were devastated by Storm Dennis.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf alone, 1,498 properties were flooded, leaving communities traumatised and fearful of heavy rain and storms.

Unfortunately, their fears were justified, as 438 properties were flooded again in November 2024 due to Storm Bert.

When Storm Dennis hit, I was a Councillor for Pontypridd Town ward and witnessed the aftermath firsthand. Before then, I hadn’t fully appreciated the extent of damage water can cause.

Stinking water

Seeing fridges, sofas, and even skips flipped over as if they were feathers, and personal possessions, including photographs of loved ones, destroyed by dirty and stinking water, is something I’ll never forget. Many lost everything, even their pets, and had to swim to safety. It’s a miracle there weren’t multiple casualties.

The community response at the time was astounding. Offers of help and donations came from far and wide, and volunteers played a key role in both the clean-up and providing emotional support to those impacted.

The same happened at the end of last year, showing that even in the worst of times, there are people who care and want to help those in their community who are suffering.

Given the scale of the devastation and the increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, I led calls for an independent inquiry into the floods to help inform how we would support communities at risk of flooding in the future.

Over 6,000 people signed the petition, and despite it being debated in the Senedd on several occasions, it was rejected by the Welsh Labour Government.

Frustration

Five years on, with flooding becoming more frequent, there is growing frustration and anger in many communities that not enough has been done to help them.

Though millions of pounds have been spent on some schemes, many communities are still waiting for modelling work to be done so that potential solutions can be found.

For one street in Ynysybwl, Clydach Terrace, where residents have been told there is a risk to their lives if they suffer the same level of flooding again, the wait is agonising. It’s no wonder residents report they can’t sleep at night when it rains heavily and are suffering from anxiety and PTSD.

There’s also been inconsistency in the support people have received since 2020. Some residents and businesses received flood gates after Storm Dennis, which successfully kept the water out of their properties during subsequent floods. Others were refused flood gates, even though they had been flooded, and were told they were unlikely to flood again. Yet, in November 2024, they did flood, and they are now understandably angry and want this to be put right.

To support residents, I organised an event in Pontypridd to coincide with the anniversary of Storm Dennis. Residents heard directly from RCT Council, Natural Resources Wales, and Dwr Cymru about the work being done to reduce the risk of flooding.

Also participating were the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales and the British Red Cross, who have both made recommendations on what needs to happen to better support communities at risk of flooding.

Clear themes emerged from the presentations and questions:

• Investigating floods and deciding on flood prevention measures takes too long and the process is too bureaucratic.
• People feel they have to fight for support, and even then, it can take years for any progress to be made, if at all.
• Agencies responsible for flooding need to work together more and make it easier for people who have been flooded to access support.
• There is a need for a Welsh flood forum and for every at-risk community to have an emergency flood plan. If the worst happens, everyone would know how to access what they need, such as sandbags, where to evacuate to, and what support is available if their homes or businesses flood.
• Not enough is spent on flood prevention and resilience. This must change so that at-risk communities can be better supported and authorities responsible for reducing risk can work more quickly on implementing measures.

So what’s stopping this from happening?

Lack of urgency

In my view, it’s a lack of urgency from the Welsh Labour Government in responding to climate change. They may talk the talk, but progress on many key actions is far too slow. We need to see investment in Natural Resources Wales and local authorities so that flood prevention and mitigation measures can be implemented much more quickly.

The establishment of a Welsh Flood Forum should also be a priority to provide practical and emotional support for communities living in constant fear of flooding. This would ensure the voices of those impacted are listened to and help shape the solutions.

People should feel safe in their homes and communities. Responding to climate change must be prioritised so that communities like mine in Pontypridd can live with the river, rather than in fear of it.