‘WE STILL CAN’T MOVE BACK HOME’
AFAMILY who were victim to the Storm Dennis floods which ravaged communities across Wales have revealed they are still unable to return to their homes six months on.
Hundreds of families and businesses had their homes and properties destroyed by flash flooding on the weekend of February 15 and 16.
Rivers burst their banks and cold and dirty water gushed through living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, shops, restaurants and pubs, causing thousands of pounds’ worth of damage, also washing a lifetime of possessions away for some.
Communities rallied around to help each other and showed an indomitable spirit, but the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown put a stop on repair works, and now homeowners and businesses are still left adrift more than half a year later.
Among those affected at the time of the Storm Dennis floods was Rachel Cox, 45, and her mother Jeanette Cox, 69, from Nantgarw.
They were evacuated from their home in Oxford Street after waking up at 4am to the sound of floodwater entering their home. Their electrics had also stopped working.
Their home was completely damaged and Rachel’s new MG ZS car was swept away to a nearby roundabout and was written off. Both mother and daughter are still living in rented accommodation while they wait for their home to be repaired.
Rachel said: “We’re still not home like many of our neighbours. We were insured but it’s been a very long process. We’re finally having work done in the house now and getting things ready like replacing floorboards.
“It’s a huge effort but we are hoping to be back in early October, if not the end of September.
“We’re struggling as a community, really, to be honest. We are having meetings with our local MPs, councillors and relevant organisations but
we’re not really happy with the answers they’re giving because we know something went wrong that morning.
“It didn’t feel like a normal flood. Obviously with Covid we’re not getting the answers we hoped for and we were hoping for lots of meetings which haven’t happened.”
Rachel said she and her mother struggled to cope with lockdown, having spent it in an unfamiliar house in Caerphilly with none of their possessions.
She added: “We are settled as such but we would rather be home, especially in lockdown. It’s a bit like being in a holiday home. We had nothing to do during lockdown. I can work from home but it was a difficult time.
“It’s just a long process. You would have thought six months on we would have been back in our house, and many people are in the same situation. Some have had to stay in their houses and live upstairs and do the work themselves. It’s been a long road.
“Mentally it’s difficult. I had a conversation with someone who had also been flooded and we were talking about what happened and it was quite horrific, and we had no emotional support so I don’t know how I’m going to feel when I go back to the house. The next time I am in my house and it starts raining, am I going to be worried about it?
“It’s been hard for my mother. She’s just gone back to work and I think that’s done her good. It has been really difficult for her and even the dog has been affected.”
A spokesman from Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “During Storm Dennis, the River Taff recorded its highest levels for 40 years, while communities at the top of the Cynon Valley and Rhondda Fach recorded the highest rainfall figures in the whole of Wales.
“We have since investigated more than 1,500 reports of flooding in total, inspected around 28km of watercourse assets (mostly underground) and removed more than 1,050 tonnes of debris from culverts.
“More than 350 highway structures have also been inspected. Works on around 12 repairs are either under way or completed, with a number of other longerterm repair schemes being progressed.
“At Oxford Street in Nantgarw, the main cause of flooding was from an overflow of the River Taff which, as a main river, Natural Resources Wales has the responsibility to manage flood risk – not the council.
“Debris from this flooding also led to some surface water flooding due to blockages in the drainage system.
“In response, the council has since cleared all of the highway drainage systems at Oxford Street, and rectified an identified issue with a carrier drain near Oxford House, around which a diversion has been constructed.”
Another person who was severely impacted by the floods was Peter Morgan, 90, who lost everything due to the damage caused to his home in Monnow Street, Monmouth, on February 18. Floodwater rose to four and a half feet.
He had to be rescued by mountain rescue volunteers and was taken from the house on a floating stretcher while covered in a blanket and wearing a flat cap.
Mr Morgan said it was the third time his home had flooded and he would not be going back to live there, but his nephew Graham Beard said the house was still uninhabitable.
Mr Beard said: “He’s doing okay but it could be an awful lot better. We’re hoping by September to October we’re expecting it to be finished. His house was absolutely trashed so the entire ground floor had to be renovated and everything has had to be replaced.
“He is still in insurance-funded accommodation. He has lost everything.
“Being a typical person of his age he had all of his life’s possessions in that house and he lost everything.
“When he moved into accommodation I had to buy him everything from scratch, he didn’t even have shoes, so the effect on him has been catastrophic. It’s very sad to watch.”
Mr Beard wanted to pay tribute to the community who had rallied round to save his uncle at the time of the floods and have continued to support him.
He added: “The people in Monmouth, including people working in the street that day in Monnow Street, they have been phenomenal, they have been incredibly supportive of Peter and incredibly protective of him. They not just rallied round at the time but have done so ever since.”