No respite for community was followed by pandemic
THE leader of one of Wales’ biggest councils has lifted the lid on the “unprecedented” challenges of 2020 for the South Wales Valleys – after devastating flooding was closely followed by the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s been just over two months since Storm Ciara, closely followed by Storm Dennis, brought significant flooding and damage to homes across South Wales with Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) particularly badly hit.
And now, along with the rest of the world, RCT is in the grip of lockdown in an effort to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Andrew Morgan, leader of RCT Council, said: “Storm Dennis was by far the most destructive weather event we have experienced in a generation with substantial rainfall at the tops of our valleys causing all three of our rivers to break records – some going back over 40 years, with devastating consequences.”
More than 850 households and 450 businesses suffered from internal flood damage across the length and breadth of RCT and the council, working with emergency services, volunteers, community organisations and the Welsh Government provided relief efforts to those affected through a number of initiatives.
Some of those initiatives were in the immediate response while others, included the Community Flood Recovery Grant hardship payments, four weeks of free school meals for school children affected, and non domestic rate relief for affected businesses aimed at easing some of the medium term pressures on those affected.
In addition to the damage sustained by private property, Cllr Morgan says the latest estimate of the cost to public infrastructure stands at a “staggering” £60m, with a number of highways, river walls, culverts and bridges suffering significant damage.
Cllr Morgan said: “While the response to the coronavirus, which has been declared a national emergency, is now our absolute priority from a local authority perspective, I want to assure those affected by the flooding that we are still allocating as many resources as we can to continue working on improving our flood defences by reviewing and designing before we are ready to start rebuilding and renewing culverts.
“We are also providing grant assistance to some of those that require help with repairs to their property.
“There has been no respite for our communities over the past two months and to say that 2020 has been a challenging year so far would be an understatement.”
He said RCT is sadly already witnessing the impact of the coronavirus on its communities, with the number of confirmed cases in RCT edging close to 800 as we speak, and with more than 1,200 cases across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board area.
He added: “This will no doubt mean that some of our residents will now be at the point where someone that they know has contracted the virus, whilst some will have sadly lost loved ones and I would like to express my condolences for their losses.
“These are truly unprecedented times for the vast majority of us but it is absolutely vital that we each play our own part by following the government advice – staying home unless it is for travelling to work when working from home is not possible, to shop for basic necessities or collecting essential medical supplies, caring for a vulnerable person, or for your daily exercise allowance – alone or with members of your household. “As leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) I am having regular conference calls with the leaders from all 21 other councils across Wales along with Welsh Government ministers. “I have also joined the Welsh Government’s Covid-19 Group with cabinet ministers from the Welsh Government, the heads of the NHS and social care in
Wales, and also the chief scientific officer for Wales, feeding in to discussions and ensuring that the views and issues of councils across Wales are raised, which is particularly important as local authorities have the most understanding of the needs and requirements of the local communities we serve.
“On top of this, I am also having daily virtual meetings with the senior leadership team of Rhondda Cynon Taf to ensure that there is a co-ordinated approach in the actions and measures taken locally and also to feed in on any national issues arising in the Wales-wide response.”
He said that RCT council is maintaining the vast majority of its services but some are being delivered in a different way. The finance teams has approved and paid out more £32m now in business support grants with staff working from home.
Teams have also been redeployed to support other services like waste and recycling, while other staff are helping to support those on the shielding list and many others needing support for food shopping and collecting medicines.
He says the response of volunteers to support this effort with council staff has been “overwhelming” and that the dedication of social care staff has been
“extraordinary”.
He said: “I know they are doing all they can to support the most vulnerable in our community
“Despite this adversity, our communities have shown incredible resilience and I have seen some fantastic examples of people coming together throughout these difficult times.
“One theme that has certainly united people is our appreciation for
To say that 2020 has been a challenging year so far would be an understatement