In the aftermath of the devastating floods brought by Storm Bert, residents of the south Wales valleys are grappling not only with the monumental task of cleaning up and rebuilding, but also with a rising tide of anger and frustration. As the muddy waters recede, tough questions are being asked about the adequacy of flood warnings and disaster preparedness in the region.
Pontypridd Hardest Hit as River Taff Overflows
The town of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf bore the brunt of the flooding, with the River Taff bursting its banks and inundating dozens of homes and businesses. Among those affected was Storyville Books on Mill Street, where co-owner Jenna Cowley, 38, was left scrambling to salvage what she could from the grimy, waterlogged shop.
“We had a yellow warning but we’ve had a lot of those and nothing much has happened,” Cowley said, noting that she and her partner Jeff Baxter were only alerted to the rising waters by a neighboring cafe owner’s Instagram posts. By the time they arrived at the store, the damage was already done, with an estimated £15,000 in losses – a devastating blow in the lead-up to the crucial Christmas shopping season.
We didn’t get a flood warning, the alarm was raised by Zucco.
– Jenna Cowley, co-owner of Storyville Books
Across the street at Zucco cafe, owner Enrico Orsi echoed Cowley’s concerns. “Obviously, the powers – Natural Resource Wales, the council, Welsh Water – they know that it’s a vulnerable area,” he said, referencing the devastation wrought by Storm Dennis in 2020. Despite the installation of a pump system beneath the street, Orsi said it clearly failed, leaving him and other business owners with unanswered questions.
Residents Demand Answers, Action
The sentiment was similar in the nearby town of Sion Street, where residents of terrace houses running parallel to the River Taff were assessing the damage to their homes. Phillip Caddy, 67, a landlord of a property that used to be his residence, said he received no timely warning about the impending floods.
Paula Williams, another Sion Street resident whose house was flooded, pointed the finger at Natural Resources Wales for failing to act on concerns raised after previous flooding events. “This time there’s only about four inches of water come in but it’s in exactly the same place that we told NRW about last time, and they didn’t do anything about it,” she said.
Landslip Evacuations, Rugby Club Devastated
In Cwmtillery, Blaenau Gwent, around 25 miles from Pontypridd, residents were forced to evacuate after a landslip from a former coal tip sent a torrent of mud and water pouring down Woodland Terrace. Local resident Becky Ashford-Singer, 32, whose home narrowly escaped the deluge, expressed fear about the potential for future slips.
Meanwhile, at the Cross Keys rugby club in Caerphilly county borough near Newport, members were reeling from the destruction caused by the River Ebbw overflowing its banks and flooding both the pitch and clubhouse. Club chair Colin Vernell, who was helping with the clean-up, said they had been hit during Storm Dennis in 2020 as well, lamenting that “no lessons have been learned since.”
We have spoken to the council to see what they can do about it when it happened last time. But no joy, nothing.
– Colin Vernell, chair of Cross Keys rugby club
Officials Vow Investigation, Residents Brace for More
Faced with the growing anger and demands for answers, Sian Williams, head of operations for Natural Resources Wales, said the agency would look into whether any part of its data-gathering and warning processes for Storm Bert had been inadequate.
But for the storm-battered residents of the south Wales valleys, such assurances may provide little comfort as they once again find themselves knee-deep in the arduous process of mucking out, rebuilding, and bracing for the next time the waters rise. Having been through this before, many are left wondering how many more floods it will take before substantive changes and protections are put in place.
As the clean-up continues and the difficult questions mount, one thing is certain: the scars left by Storm Bert on the tight-knit communities of the Welsh valleys will linger long after the last puddle has dried. The challenge now falls to officials and policymakers to ensure that the hard-learned lessons of this disaster are not simply washed away with the receding floodwaters, but are instead channeled into meaningful action to safeguard these vulnerable towns and villages from the storms to come.
