Parents 'turn up TV when it rains' as kids fear floods

Children successful immoderate flood-hit communities are truthful frightened erstwhile it rains that their parents are closing the curtains and turning up the TV, according to a assemblage worker.

Sharon Elward, organiser for the Pontypridd Foodbank, said repeated flooding successful caller years had led to "skyrocketing" intelligence wellness issues locally.

"How tin you physically support surviving similar that? Moving furnishings and cabinets upstairs whenever there's a warning... it's conscionable not realistic," she said.

The Senedd's situation committee volition conscionable connected Thursday to perceive from agencies progressive successful the responses to Storm Bert and Storm Darragh, some of which caused wide flooding successful November and December 2024.

Seeing the streets of Pontypridd flooded erstwhile again had "a truly immense interaction connected people", said Ms Elward, whose foodbank offers abstraction for radical whose homes and businesses person been flooded to travel together.

"They can't transportation connected surviving successful this benignant of situation," she said, adding that it was besides "a monolithic driver" of economical hardship.

People are watching the stream levels "all the time" and parents were having to "shut their curtains and crook the TV up a spot louder" truthful their "children's PTSD symptoms don't travel back" erstwhile it rains, she said.

"We've heard from radical who person felt truthful atrocious they don't privation to beryllium here," she added.

Ms Elward said drop-in sessions organised by the foodbank successful areas worst affected by the floods had been "really good attended".

"Their voices are not being heard - they are being thrown from pillar to station astir each the antithetic organisations but cipher is really listening to what is happening to them," she said.

"We cognize determination has been a batch of wealth spent, but we are inactive present 5 years on, truthful was it spent wisely?"

Colin Fenn, 83, has seen his Pontypridd location flood doubly successful caller years.

"You person to portion everything retired due to the fact that it's stream water, it's contaminated, truthful everything that's connected the floor, carpets, cupboards, units, has got to go," helium explained.

"It's heart-breaking due to the fact that you conscionable basal there, trying desperately to halt the h2o coming in... but it's unstoppable.

"The worst happening of each is the trauma, the intelligence effect.

"Waiting, wondering if it's going to get flooded again."

Further up the Rhondda vale successful Porth, the Rheola Hotel has flooded 3 times successful 5 years.

The interaction of Storm Bert was peculiarly devastating, according to erstwhile manager John Morgan, due to the fact that helium claimed determination had been "no warning".

Staff arrived successful the greeting to spot "water 2ft (0.6m) heavy close passim the pub".

"A mates of the unit finished conscionable aft due to the fact that of the accent of the floods astatine the time, it's not precise pleasant for immoderate of them," helium said.

The 3 floods outgo the concern up to £80,000 successful harm to stock, mislaid commercialized and repairs, helium added.

The pub was present investing successful its ain backstage flood defences.

There was much statement successful the aftermath of Storm Bert astir however overmuch informing was provided by the Met Office and Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Jeremy Parr, caput of flood and incidental hazard absorption astatine NRW said the agency's unit worked "day successful time retired to bash our champion to negociate the risks from flooding".

In the pb up to tempest Bert it had warned "significant flooding was imaginable crossed Wales", urging radical to "be prepared".

"River levels successful the southbound Wales valleys tin emergence highly rapidly... and flood warnings could beryllium issued astatine precise abbreviated notice," helium explained.

However pursuing a review, the organisation had present "reduced the trigger level astatine which warnings were issued connected the River Taff astatine Pontypridd".

In its submission to the Senedd's situation committee, Rhondda Cynon Taf assembly said it was looking astatine "how we tin refine the council's ain interior informing systems and applicable protocols pursuing what was considered to beryllium precocious warnings" from some organisations.

The assembly said it had spent much than £100m since Storm Dennis connected flood protection.

This "succeeded successful reducing the hazard of flooding to an estimated 2269 properties during Storm Bert", a assembly spokesperson said, adding that determination was a "real request for others - beryllium they backstage landowners oregon different organisations - to lucifer our urgency and ambitions".

MS's volition perceive from the council's person aboriginal connected Thursday and question elder representatives from the UK Met Office and Flood Forecasting Centre.

Wales' National Infrastructure Commission, which advises the government, has besides written to the committee aft it carried retired a year-long survey into flood resilience.

Chairman David Clubb said they recovered communities were often "not sufficiently engaged" successful decisions astir flood hazard by the assorted agencies progressive and felt arsenic if "things were being done to them".

One of the body's recommendations was to make a caller flooding commissioner relation for Wales to assistance coordinate efforts and pb connected communication.

"We consciousness that there's a batch that tin beryllium done successful trying to assistance antithetic organisations enactment together," helium said.

A Welsh authorities spokesperson said it had maintained "a grounds level of backing of £75m for our flood programme this twelvemonth which volition support much than 45,000 homes".

They said it was "so important that we proceed to larn lessons from flooding" and that aft tempest Bert "we instantly organised a gathering of archetypal responders, hazard absorption authorities and different agencies".

"We are besides looking astatine whether we tin usage National Flood Forum services much widely."

A Met Office spokesperson said they "welcome the accidental to sermon the interaction of caller storms astatine the Senedd Environment Committee's session".

"We instrumentality our work to pass for terrible upwind successful the UK precise earnestly and volition ever germinate and enactment adjacent much intimately with our partners to guarantee we each present the champion accusation to support radical safe.

"Our thoughts are with those who were affected by the impacts caused by the caller wintertime storms."