Welsh flood defences protected thousands of people, says Eluned Morgan

The First Minister of Wales has insisted flood defences protected thousands of homes aft Storm Bert battered the country.

Eluned Morgan said less homes were flooded implicit the play than successful erstwhile years, insisting a “significant number” of radical were protected.

However, she said amended flood warnings volition beryllium needed successful the future.

Around 400 homes were impacted crossed Wales, arsenic good arsenic businesses and infrastructure, aft the important upwind and rainfall brought by Storm Bert.

Baroness Morgan utilized First Minister’s Questions connected Tuesday to denote caller fiscal enactment for those whose homes were flooded implicit the weekend.

The backing volition let affected households to person grants of £500, oregon £1000 for those without insurance.

The First Minister besides faced calls from Plaid Cymru to request much backing from Westminster to amended ember extremity safety, but she said it would beryllium “difficult” to walk much than the £25 cardinal fixed this year.

She insisted lessons had been learned since Storm Dennis successful 2020, with £300 cardinal having been invested successful defences and support.

“I deliberation that it is important to enactment – peculiarly successful places similar Rhondda Cynon Taff, for example, wherever past clip astir 2,000 homes were affected – this clip astir 150 homes were affected,” Baroness Morgan said.

“That is simply a important fig of radical who were protected arsenic a effect of the concern that went successful by the Welsh Government — thousands of radical were protected due to the fact that of that investment.

“I judge that that is precise small comfortableness to the radical who were affected, and I cognize however devastating, conscionable earlier Christmas, this indispensable beryllium for them, but we did larn lessons, and we person enactment successful monolithic investment.”

Baroness Morgan described it arsenic a “devastating play for many” and said determination volition beryllium further lessons learnt, peculiarly implicit whether Natural Resources Wales (NRW) could person enactment amended flood warnings successful place.

NRW has travel nether disapproval aft the flooding, with immoderate residents successful Pontypridd saying warnings lone came aft the River Taff broke its banks.

Baroness Morgan said: “NRW issued 131 alerts and warnings, including 2 terrible flood warnings, with implicit 95,000 messages sent and 46,000-plus customers being reached. So they did rather a lot.

“The question is, could they person done more? And that is something, clearly, that volition request to beryllium analysed.”

Baroness Morgan’s comments followed questions from Andrew RT Davies, person of the Welsh Conservatives, who said determination could person been much preventative measures successful spot with greater warning.

Mr RT Davis argued determination had been a “failure to larn the lessons and instrumentality an alert process” aft Storm Dennis, with the aforesaid streets affected successful some floods.

“Many radical indicated successful immoderate of the astir severely affected areas successful Pontypridd that the archetypal that they realised the flooding was taking spot was erstwhile neighbours were going from location to location banging connected the doors,” helium said.

Plaid Cymru person Rhun ap Iorwerth said ember tips, similar the 1 successful Cwmtillery, which saw a landslip screen homes successful mud and sludge, needed “to beryllium made harmless and urgently” and much wealth was needed from Westminster.

Baroness Morgan said it was a 10 to 15-year task and “not thing you tin enactment successful spot overnight”.

She said: “There volition beryllium limits successful presumption of being capable to sorb further wealth due to the fact that determination volition beryllium limits successful presumption of expertise, equipment.

“So if they gave america the money, it’d beryllium precise hard for america to usage it each up due to the fact that of the deficiency of expertise, which we request to physique up.”

The First Minister said she was “very confident” much backing would beryllium disposable successful the future.