Flooded residents in Rhondda Cynon Taf left without defences because of cost
Paul Thomas has lived on Clydach Terrace in Ynysybwl for 40 years. His home was flooded during Storm Dennis in 2020. He said: "They may not be walking away, but they're certainly doing nothing."The 66-year-old said residents had been told "money was no object", but said they now feel like they have been "abandoned".He added: "There's a risk to life".
Mr Thomas said the water level was above his head when it entered his home in 2020."I was knocked through the wall, the water came in behind me, I didn't know what was up what was down, I managed to swim to the back of the property," he said."I swum across my backyard onto my extension roof and jumped in through the bedroom window."To live here, the danger that we are facing is just too great", he added.
Water from the Nant Clydach tributary flooded 16 houses on Clydach Terrace during Storm Dennis.The water overtopped the highway wall between the tributary and the street.NRW said it looked at several options to manage the flood risk in the area, including building a raised flood defence wall, or buying the most at risk homes.But the environment body said "neither option is close to being economically viable under the UK and Welsh government funding rules for flood risk management purposes that NRW must follow".It added that it "recognises the flood risk remains and will not walk away from the community".
Paul's children and grandchildren live in the houses either side of his. He said he feared for their safety every time it rained heavily."Weather forecasts and that river rule my life now, it's taken a toll on us," he said."Not just me, my grandson, when it rains, he's terrified, he feels sick, he just wants to go, and everyone is exactly the same."It's a nightmare," he added. "We have waves coming up the street - it's a massive amount of water, it's powerful enough to push the front door in."We can die, it's as simple as that, we can die."
Alison Linehan also lives on Clydach Terrace, and said, "we are living in fear and they just don't want to do anything for us"."As soon as the winter comes now we will be panicking."She said she would like to see the flood wall between the water and her home made taller.Graham Watkins was born on Clydach Terrace, and said he was "fed up" with NRW and would like to see the river dredged and the wall raised."Before long people in this street won't get insurance, because the cost of it is so much - I find it very difficult to afford the insurance on the house," he said.
Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it would meet with residents "to consider potential options"."Nothing is off the table, including acquisition of properties where necessary, and we will consult with impacted residents on all future options," a spokesperson for the council added.NRW said the topography of the area near the river "presents a challenging risk" and said that during extreme rainfall "flooding can happen rapidly and to significant depths".It said the proposed flood defence wall would need to vary along its length between 3.5m and 4.5m (11ft 6in and 14ft 9in) above the road to provide a good level of protection. NRW said that purchasing the most at risk properties was found "not to be cost-effective to be eligible to receive Flood Defence Grant in aid funding from the Welsh government".It said it was "committed to working with the community, the local authority and other partners" to find other solutions. David Letellier, Head of Operations South Wales Central for NRW, said: "We know how deeply flood risk affects people's lives and wellbeing, and we understand this will be disappointing news for residents."This was a thorough assessment of what's possible in Ynysybwl, and although we cannot take forward a major scheme at this time, we are not walking away."We remain committed to working with the community, the local authority and other partners to explore what else can be done to manage the risk and support residents."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Burst Flintshire water main leaves thousands without supply
Thousands of people are without water after temporary repairs to a burst main failed. Welsh Water said a full emergency repair was under way to fix the pipe in Broughton, Holywell, Ffynnongroyw, Greenfield, Llanerch y Mor, Mostyn, Oakenholt, Talacre, Whitford, Queensferry, Shotton, Connah's Quay, Garden City, Hawarden, Mancot and Sandycroft have all been water stations have been set up with deliveries being made to vulnerable customers. "We would like to apologise to our customers that are experiencing disruption with their water supplies and understand their frustration, especially those who had similar problems last weekend," Welsh Water said. The company said the temporary repair on a large main in Broughton carried out last weekend was done to get people back on supply as quickly as possible and allow it to refill the would have given the water company enough storage time to go back and complete the permanent repair without any impact on supplies."Unfortunately, the temporary repair has not held and so we have to act quickly to carry out an emergency repair before full storage could be restored," it added."This is complex due to the pipe being located 5m (16ft) underground and close to underground electric cables and other services, which requires extra care," it added."We've had to do this repair quicker than planned and with lower levels of storage in several of our service reservoirs."Crews worked on the repair overnight and the repair work would continue throughout the day, the company said."Due to the scale of the network, it will then take us some time to safely refill the system, including the service reservoirs, and in turn restore supplies but we will keep customers informed."
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Glacial outburst' causes massive floods in Alaska as residents forced to evacuate
Alaska 's capital suffered massive flooding and record-high water levels after an ice dam burst at a nearby glacier, releasing a powerful surge of rainwater and snowmelt. The Mendenhall River overflowed earlier in the day, sending water into streets and some residential yards of Juneau on Wednesday. Some residents were able to return to their home while other areas remained 'closed until further notice.' 'Residents are urged to use extreme caution near damaged structures, stay off riverbanks, and avoid driving through standing water,' a statement from the Juneau city website reads. 'Officials warn that driving through flooded areas can create damaging waves that further impact nearby buildings.' The newly installed flood barriers, built earlier this year to protect the community from the looming ice caps, are believed to be the reason the community was spared from further devastation. 'They really have protected our community,' Juneau City Manager Katie Koester said during a news conference. 'If it weren't for them, we would have hundreds and hundreds of flooded homes.' City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles of riverbank in an attempt to guard against widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant, reinforced sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy, The Associated Press reported. The Juneau Assembly required homeowners in the flood zone to cover 40 percent of the cost - amounting to about $6,300 each over 10 years. Additionally, a handful of homeowners were asked to chip in $50,000 toward reinforcing the river bank. Only about one-quarter of the residents formally objected, not enough to call quits on the project. While flooding did occur, the impacts were far less severe than those seen in 2023 and 2024, when nearly 300 homes were inundated during similar glacial outburst events. The devastating flooding began after water from Suicide Basin - a side basin of the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 10 miles above the state's capital - broke free, inundating roads, damaging infrastructure, and prompting emergency warnings. 'A glacial outburst has occurred at Suicide Basin,' officials wrote in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. 'The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along the Mendenhall Lake and River late Tuesday through Wednesday.' City officials urged residents living within the 17-foot lake level inundation zone to evacuate the area immediately, adding that when the area is deemed 'all clear,' a wireless emergency alert will be sent to residents, Fox4 News reported. Roads across the region were closed, including Mendenhall Loop Road, which will remain off-limits until water levels drop below 12 feet and safety inspections are complete. In addition, multiple public facilities along the overflowing river, including the Mendenhall Valley Public Library and the Diamond Park Aquatic Center, were shut down. The Federal Aviation Administration has also issued a temporary flight restriction over the area to ensure safety for aerial flood monitoring and response. 'This TFR creates controlled airspace to ensure safe aerial operations for geo-hazard monitoring, flood response, and potential evacuations,' the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities said. The National Weather Service (NWS) has also issued a flood warning for the Mendenhall River, where water levels topped 16 feet early Wednesday - surpassing last year's record crest of 15.99 feet. 'Our forecast right now... we're thinking our crest might be closer to 8 in the morning and might be closer to the higher end of the spectrum,' Andrew Park, a meteorologist with the NWS Juneau office, said. 'This will be a new record, based on all of the information that we have,' NWS meteorologist Nicole Ferrin added during a Tuesday press conference. Experts are now warning local residents not to approach the water. 'There is a lot of debris in the river. Please stay away from the river. It's very dangerous right now,' Park added, explaining, 'if you get in that water, you're not going to make it out of there.' The destructive flooding was triggered by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), a type of event that occurs when water dammed behind glacial ice or debris is suddenly released. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) describes GLOFs as unpredictable, warning they have caused 'significant loss of life and infrastructure worldwide.' Suicide Basin - named for the constant avalanches of ice that occur from the hanging glacier above it - has released glacial floodwaters annually since 2011, with record-breaking floods reported in both 2023 and 2024. However now, officials predict that the volume of water being released from the basin during recent events is increasing - a trend scientists link to climate change. The Juneau city website compares the process of a glacial lake outburst to 'pulling the plug from a full bathtub. 'When the basin fills with meltwater and rainfall, it can suddenly breach the ice dam, sending torrents of water downhill. As global temperatures continue to rise, devastating weather events, like the powerful flood waters seen in Alaska this week, are expected to become more common. According to NOAA, Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the U.S., with average annual temperatures rising 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century, and as glaciers retreat, meltwater collects in unstable basins, increasing the risk of sudden floods. A 2019 study found the world's glaciers are losing up to 390 billion tons of ice and snow each year, with Alaska's glaciers contributing significantly, USA Today reported.
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Barriers prevent severe flooding in Alaska capital after glacier outburst
Newly installed river barriers held back record levels of flooding and prevented widespread damage in Alaska's capital city on Wednesday, after an ice dam at the nearby Mendenhall Glacier released a huge surge of rainwater and snowmelt, officials said. Water pooled on several streets and in some yards in Juneau after the Mendenhall River crested earlier in the day, and high water was expected to persist for hours. But many residents in the flood zone had evacuated before peak water levels, and there were no damage reports similar to the past two summers, when about 300 homes were flooded. The temporary barriers 'really have protected our community', Juneau city manager Katie Koester told a news conference. 'If it weren't for them, we would have hundreds and hundreds of flooded homes.' On Tuesday morning, authorities confirmed that water had started escaping the ice dam, with flooding expected into Wednesday. Some Juneau residents in the flood zone had already evacuated as officials intensified their warnings on Tuesday, saying: 'Don't wait, Evacuate TONIGHT.' The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Juneau said in an X post late on Tuesday that local hydrologists had adjusted their Mendenhall flooding forecast, anticipating that the river would crest at over 16ft on Wednesday morning. Nicole Ferrin, with the NWS, said during a briefing on Tuesday that the flood warning was issued after 'a lot of analysis' but the calculations were complicated by rainfall causing significant rising of the lake and river and confirmed that a sub-glacial release had occurred. 'This will be a new record based on all of the information we have,' Ferrin said, according to the Juneau Empire. City officials responded to concerns from property owners this year by working with state, federal and tribal entities to install a temporary levee along roughly 2.5 miles (4km) of riverbank in an attempt to prevent widespread flooding. The 10,000 'Hesco' barriers are essentially giant, reinforced sandbags intended to protect more than 460 properties, said emergency manager Ryan O'Shaughnessy. Some water did seep into yards through drains that had been installed under the barriers. In other spots, trees floating down the river struck and damaged the barriers, officials said. But the fortified wall largely held. The Mendenhall Glacier fills a large valley north of Juneau, creating an ice dam for a meltwater lake that fills Suicide Basin. Since 2011, outburst floods from the depression have been pouring into Mendenhall Lake and rushing down the river toward Juneau each year. But the annual Mendenhall glacial lake outburst flood is judged to be intensifying as a result of climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (Noaa), said in a statement that Alaska had warmed twice as fast as the rest of the US over the last several decades. Over the last century, Alaska's average annual temperature has risen 3.1F and the overall trend continues to increase, according to data from Noaa's National Centers for Environmental Information. Scientists have attributed the retreat, melting and thinning of glaciers over the last century to Earth's warming climate. Alaska's glaciers are among the fastest-melting glaciers on Earth and have been in steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the Alaska Climate Science Center. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion On the record amounts of water that threatened Juneau, Rick Thoman, Alaska climate specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy, told Noaa reported: 'Without climate change, there is no reason to think that this would be happening on the Mendenhall Glacier, then in the lake, and downriver.' An outburst in August 2023 sent record amounts of water into Mendenhall Lake and down Mendenhall River toward Juneau, inundating areas that had not experienced flooding before, the NWS office in Juneau said at the time, causing significant erosion. The Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from Juneau and considered a popular tourist attraction. Juneau lies 800 miles (1,300km) from Anchorage, where Donald Trump and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, are due to meet on Friday to discuss the war in Ukraine. Flooding from the glacier has become an annual concern for almost 15 years, and in recent years has swept away houses and swamped hundreds of homes. It is blamed on the retreat of a smaller glacier near Mendenhall Glacier – a casualty of the heating climate – and left a basin that fills with rainwater and snowmelt each spring and summer. When the water creates enough pressure, it forces its way under or around the ice dam created by the blue-ice Mendenhall glacier. The Mendenhall was originally named Sitaantaagu ('the Glacier Behind the Town') or Aak'wtaaksit ('the Glacier Behind the Little Lake') by the Tlingit Indians, but later called Auke (Auk) Glacier, for the Auk Kwaan band of Tlingit Indians, by naturalist John Muir. It was renamed in 1892 for Thomas Corwin Mendenhall, who had helped determine the boundary between Canada and Alaska. It is considered a relic of the little ice age that lasted until the mid-18th century and is now receding at about 100-150ft (30-45 meters) a year. The Associated Press contributed reporting
