Housing

For flood-hit Welsh communities, insurance is a luxury many can't afford

Storms Ciara and Dennis have badly flooded areas of Wales, but for many that's only part of the problem, meaning community support has to step in to help.

River Taff at Pontypridd, South Wales, Near Cardiff Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

In October 2018, Storm Callum hit Wales causing some of the worst flooding in thirty years. Not two years later, those same communities have been hit even harder by the double blow of Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, with pictures from across the south of the country showing burst banks, breached defences, and unprecedented impact.

Initial reports from Pontypridd in the South Wales valleys, one of the worst hit areas, estimate more than 600 people have been displaced, with over 1,000 homes damaged. One of the main issues affecting locals is a lack of home insurance, leaving people struggling to get back on their feet. “Parts of my constituency are some of the most economically deprived in Wales,” says Alex Davies-Jones, MP for Pontypridd, who describes insurance as “a luxury that people can’t afford,” explaining that many of the homes affected are social housing.

This is before considering whether flood insurance is available in the first place. For houses on Pontypridd’s Berw Road, one of the worst-hit areas, their proximity to the River Taff means coverage is either unavailable or, as Alex says, prohibitively expensive. Local councillor Eleri Griffiths has echoed the same sentiments, posting on Facebook that many of the affected residents she has met in nearby Trehafod have no insurance, estimating around 50 houses that have been damaged. Nearby rugby club Bedwas RFC, which sits alongside the River Rhymney, have had to set up a crowdfunder to save their club after being told their insurance won’t cover the extensive damage they’ve received.

I don’t think even Rhondda Cynon Taf Council expected the river to breach the flood barriers.

While floods are common across South Wales, there’s a sense that the scale of those caused by the recent storms are on a different scale. Sian Llewellyn lived in Pontypridd for 25 years before moving to Cardiff last year, but told us that nobody expected the level of flooding the area received: “On Saturday evening I know several people called asking for sandbags but were told not to panic. I don’t think even Rhondda Cynon Taf Council expected the river to breach the flood barriers. The community were completely shocked.”

An hour north in Crickhowell, Emma Corfield-Waters, owner of independent bookshop Book-ish, told The Big Issue “residents haven’t seen flooding like this since 1979.” The town, which runs right along the banks of the River Usk, is predominantly connected by an 18th-century bridge, which isn’t equipped to deal with storms of this size. “The strengthening beams put in to support the increased traffic are almost acting as dams,” Emma says. “Water can’t get underneath, so it goes either side.” This has had a knock-on effect to Big Issue vendors in the area too, with one who sells in Crickhowell unable to make the journey due to damage on the roads.

For those affected, community support is providing much needed ballast to the emergency relief put in place. “Over the weekend leisure centres were turned into overnight accommodation,” says Alex. “For those whose homes are now uninhabitable they are being housed in hotels, B&Bs, and at the homes of volunteers. Social housing providers are trying to help tenants, volunteers are donating food and toiletries. There’s been a huge community effort.”

The importance of this support can’t be overstated in rural communities. Across the area there are stories of people working to get businesses back up and running and to provide shelter to those who need it, plumbers and electricians offering their services free of charge, and several crowdfunding campaigns raising more than £30,000 overnight. “It’s what we’ve always done, and what we’ll always continue to do,” says Alex, but with this the second serious instance of flooding in as many years, there’s the question of what measures are being put in place going forward in areas where some flood defences are over 30 years old. Andrew Morgan, leader of the Rhondda Cynon Taf council, has established a recovery board to support repairs and investment required for infrastructure across the borough, releasing £1million from the council’s general fund. The board are set to meet twice weekly for the immediate future, with the first responsibility being to consider the community impact of the flooding.

Image: Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans/Shutterstock

Support the Big Issue

For over 30 years, the Big Issue has been committed to ending poverty in the UK. In 2024, our work is needed more than ever. Find out how you can support the Big Issue today.
Vendor martin Hawes

Recommended for you

View all
Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?
Jeremy Hunt announced local housing allowance rise
Benefits

Local housing allowance is finally going up. But is it anything more than just a short-term fix?

Leaked letter to Tory MPs reveals renting reforms will be 'watered down' to 'appease landlords'
Renters Reform Bill
RENTING

Leaked letter to Tory MPs reveals renting reforms will be 'watered down' to 'appease landlords'

Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn
Housing

Housing crisis: Shared ownership an 'unbearable reality' which has 'failed to deliver', MPs warn

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill
Renters and the Renters Reform Bill
Renting

Most tenants have never heard of the beleaguered Renters Reform Bill

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Here's when UK households to start receiving last cost of living payments

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know
4.

Strike dates 2023: From train drivers to NHS doctors, here are the dates to know