FLOOD VICTIMS TO GET £500 PAYOUT
HOUSEHOLDS affected by flooding from storms Ciara and Dennis will each receive £500, the Welsh Government has announced.
Hundreds of homes and businesses across the country were hit by flooding caused by the storms.
The cost of written-off cars in the village of Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taf, alone is estimated to cost more than £1m.
More than a week on from the devastation wrought by Storm Dennis, Natural Resources Wales had 13 flood warnings and 39 flood alerts in place across the nation yesterday, while the M48 Severn Crossing was also closed in both directions during the morning because of high winds.
The Welsh Government yesterday announced that all households affected by flooding would receive £500.
An extra £500 will be available to those without house insurance cover.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “When I met people from flood-hit communities over the last week, I saw for myself the stress, strain and loss people are experiencing. We want to do all we can to help them at this extremely stressful time.
“I also saw the extreme pressure people are under if they didn’t have insurance cover or if their insurance policies do not cover flooding.
“To help those people, we are providing additional money to those not covered by house insurance.
“The Welsh Government has set up a £10m emergency fund to help with the immediate aftermath of the floods, but the cost of infrastructure damage and the investment needed to address the climate emergency go far beyond this. The UK Government also has a role in responding to these floods and a responsibility to the people of Wales.
“After a week of silence in the face of this emergency, we urgently need to hear what longer-term support communities can expect from the UK Government.”
People will receive an initial payment within 24 hours, with support for businesses available through Business Wales, a spokeswoman for the Welsh Government said.
The announcement came after Welsh politicians wrote letters to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, asking for assistance.
In a statement, a spokeswoman said the UK Government had been in “regular touch” with emergency services, local authorities, public bodies and the Welsh Government, including Mr Drakeford.
“The Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart MP, met the First Minister, Mark Drakeford AM, today and reiterated the UK Government’s support for the affected communities,” the UK Government spokeswoman said.
“Flood defences and the response to flooding in Wales are a responsibility of the Welsh Government, but the Secretary
of State for Wales told the First Minister that the UK Government will look seriously at any request from the Welsh Government for additional support and assistance for flood relief.”
Any flood hardship payments will not affect people’s eligibility for benefits issued by the Department for Work and Pensions, she confirmed.
As reported in yesterday’s Echo, a letter from Welsh Labour politicians to Chancellor Rishi Sunak described the situation in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area as “a national emergency on our doorstep”.
They said 600 homes and a similar number of businesses had been hit by flooding, representing 25% of properties affected across the UK.
The letter is signed by Labour MPs Chris Elmore, Chris Bryant, Beth Winter and Alex David-Jones, Welsh Labour Assembly Members Mick Antoniw, Vikki Howells and Huw Irranca-Davies, and Andrew Morgan, the leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council.
It asks for a one-off grant of £30m, exemption from council tax and businesses rates and a Governmentfunded review of all former coal-mining sites across South Wales.
Fundraising appeals, including one by Welsh actor Michael Sheen, have reached around £200,000 collectively.
A collection at the Principality Stadium at the Six Nations Wales v France match raised more than £12,000 for
rugby clubs affected by the storm.
In a letter to Boris Johnson, 22 Welsh MPs called for the UK Government to “provide ongoing support” and to reconsider the method for allocating funding to the Welsh Government.
The Prime Minister’s continued absence from flooded areas has been defended by Downing Street, with officials insisting it was important not to “distract” from the ongoing effort to deal with the problem.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn visited Rhydyfelin, near Pontypridd, last week and challenged the Prime Minister to visit flood-hit communities.
Meanwhile, commuters faced disruption both on roads and on rail services, on a day characterised by rain on an already saturated South Wales, while coastal areas were buffeted by high winds.
Flooding on the railway line at Llanharan caused disruption to services between Cardiff to Bridgend and Maesteg and flooding at Tonypandy and Treherbert meant no services were able to run north of Pontypridd.
All lines have since reopened but rail replacement transport was on
standby in case further flooding occurs. Rail replacement transport was used between Pontypridd and Treherbert for several hours.
A spokesman for Network Rail yesterday said: “Continued heavy rainfall has resulted in flooding in the Llanharan area on the South Wales Main Lane. Services will still be able to travel from Cardiff to Bridgend, but this will be a reduced service via the Vale of Glamorgan.
“Passengers are urged to check details before travelling and allow additional time. We thank them in advance and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”
Several railway lines remained closed due to the aftermath of Storm Dennis.
These include services between Aberdare and Pontypridd, the Cambrian line, and the Conwy Valley line.
Forecasters predicted some respite over the next 48 hours, with the weather settling down accompanied by a notable dip in temperatures – before heavy rain is expected to return on Friday.
In the House of Commons, the Environment
Secretary faced calls to fund an urgent review of all former coal mining sites in the South Wales area in the wake of the floods.
Welsh Labour MPs raised concerns over the former coal sites as they pressed for the “necessary funding” to guard against any possible repeats of what happened in Aberfan.
Ogmore MP, Labour’s Chris Elmore insisted the UK was responsible for the management of all former coal sites.
Speaking during a Commons statement giving a flooding update, George Eustice revealed that the secretary of state for Wales met the First Minister yesterday“where this was one of the issues discussed”.
Labour’s Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones said: “Would the secretary of state agree with me that we urgently need to see better protections and will he fund an urgent review of all the former coal mining sites in the South Wales area and bring forward the necessary funding to ensure the safety of all of our communities?”
Mr Eustice’s response that “this is a devolved matter” drew heckles from Labour who insisted: “It’s not.”
Mr Eustice said: “Flood response and dealing with the result of floods is a devolved matter, but we do have arrangements across the UK to support one another when one area is particularly affected, but if (she) would like to write to me with her suggestions I would be more than happy to discuss it with colleagues in the Welsh Government.”
Chris Elmore said: “She (Ms DaviesJones) asked the question about the coal tips and the responsibility of the Government. The Coal Industry Act 1994 says that the UK is responsible for the management of all former coal sites. So can I ask the secretary of state to agree to investigate these sites?”
Mr Eustice replied: “The secretary of state for Wales met the First Minister this morning where this was one of the issues discussed.”
Elsewhere, calls have been made for land reclamation grants to be brought back to prevent potentially “disastrous” landslides on former coal tips.
Leanne Wood, the Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for the Rhondda, has called for the return of the grants after Storm Dennis caused one landslide at the Llanwonno Tip in Tylorstown nine days ago. More than 20 former coal tips are now being checked following the incident.
There was also a small landslip behind the Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council headquarters on Thursday.
The grants used to be awarded to help deal with risks associated with tips but they were scrapped by the Welsh Government in 2015.
Ms Wood said: “These tips are a concern to many people because we all understand that the weather predicted to get worse.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The ownership and maintenance of coal tips is complex and falls to Natural Resources Wales, local authorities and the Coal Authority. They are being regularly monitored by experts and risk assessed.
“The First Minister will meet the Secretary of State for Wales next week to discuss their safety.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said the Llanwonno tip has been under 24-hour monitoring since the incident and consultants have been brought in to inspect the site.