South Wales Central Senedd Member, Joel James, has today responded to the Welsh Government's statement on Storm Bert.
The Member spoke on the devastating impact the storm has had in his region, with 200 properties being affected in RCT alone due to more than a month's worth of rain falling in such a short period.
Opening his contribution, Joel expressed his heartfelt sympathies to all those families and businesses affected.
The Member also highlighted that "it is now clear that the response from the Welsh Government after storm Dennis in 2020 was, indeed, inadequate and there has been very little learnt".
Speaking to the Deputy First Minister, the Member also stated that in the review that followed that flooding, RCT council was praised as having been successful in progressing post-event actions and recommendations, however, Joel thought this was "misleading, given the events that we have witnessed over the weekend, and will provide little comfort to the residents and business owners who have had their homes and shops ruined".
Storm Dennis was categorised as a one in 100-year event and, since no flood defences had been found to have failed during that storm, it was concluded that existing flood defence infrastructure at RCT11 remained in accordance with current indicative standards.
However, the Member pointed out that in just four years, another storm has been equally as devastating, and questioned the Welsh Government on how they will now categorise storm Bert.
The Member also took the time to ask the Deputy First Minister whether they would provide additional funding to upgrade flood defences in Pontypridd.
Speaking outside the Chamber, Joel said:
I was really grateful to the Welsh Government for bringing forward a statement this evening about Storm Bert and the devastating impact it has had on communities throughout Wales.
Sadly, my home town of Pontypridd was hit hard, with shops and homes being badly flooded, and my thoughts and prayers are completely with them. I also can't praise enough the work of all those who have been helping to minimise the damage and to help those affected.
Though the impact hasn't been as bad as Storm Dennis in 2020, this is of very little comfort to those who have been flooded, and much more needs to be done to make sure this doesn't happen again.
To watch Joel's full contribution, please click here.
