Flooded Monmouthshire residents a year on from Storm Dennis

Homes were gutted, with residents in Monmouth hit particularly hard, as the storm left in its wake millions of pounds of damage to properties and businesses.

For many, things went from bad to worse as they faced rebuilding in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

And some were heartbreakingly hit again by flooding later in the year – particularly on December 23, when the county saw torrential rainfall.

The River Monmow flooding Vauxhall fields last year. Picture: Susan Parkes

This view from Sugarloaf Mountain captures the scale of flooding in Abergavenny during Storm Dennis

Flooding at Llanfoist Bridge in Storm Dennis. Picture: Vince Cox

Residents say they are still waiting on answers as to why their homes were flooded then and in February, while Natural Resources Wales says it is doing more to ensure the region is prepared in the future.

‘It wrecks people’s lives’

At the Olway Inn in Usk, managers Nicola Cole and Matt Baker have been flooded five times since Storm Dennis.

The Olway Inn

Matt Baker and Nicola Cole at the Olway Inn

Inside the Olway Inn during December floods

When they were flooded again on December 23 it was the 20th time in the last 15 years.

Ms Cole says despite being flooded so often, they have had no financial support from the Welsh Government or Monmouthshire County Council, they can’t get insurance and are losing thousands by the week – which is affecting them significantly due to the impact too of the pandemic.

She has reiterated calls for a thorough investigation into why homes across the county are flooding so regularly now, and believes the Olway brook beside the pub needs to be dredged much more regularly.

The community has raised thousands for them over the years to recover from the floods – including more than £7,000 in December and January – but Ms Cole says - while they are extremely grateful for the support - it is not right that they have had to rely on residents.

“We applied for funding to help us through the flooding in February last year and we got nothing,” she said. “We’ve now asked for business rates relief, because we’re worried with how much we’ve lost with Covid and the flooding, business rates would put us in an almost impossible position. We’re yet to hear back on that.

Nicola Cole said all the money raised went on mending a leaking roof

Nicola Cole has said she is convinced the nearby Olway brook isn't dredged enough

“I do feel it isn’t being taken seriously enough. We’ve not had the support needed in terms of a response to this from the authorities. We know it’s been a tough year for the government – but this [being flooded often] is really serious, it wrecks people’s lives.

“Without our community we wouldn’t be here. We didn’t realise how appreciated we were until recent months with the money that’s been raised for us. It’s overwhelmingly lovely, but we shouldn’t need to rely on them every time this happens.”

‘Community spirit has shone through’

Reverend Penny Powdrill – temporary vicar at the Dixton Church (St Peter’s) in Monmouth – echoed sentiments of community spirit. Her church has also flooded twice since – with the most recent coming just two weeks ago.

Just 30 metres from the River Wye, the water level in February at the church on Dixton Lane was above six feet, and caused significant damage to the building just one day after £130,000-worth of work addressing damage caused by previous flooding had finished.

Penny Powdrill at the Dixton Church on Dixton Lane

The Dixton Church after Storm Dennis

The church was restored within months due to the efforts of a newly-found community group, born from the flooding

After the second worst flood in the church’s history, the relief effort was under way and was predicted to be finished by Easter. But when the pandemic hit in March, an awful start to the year turned to complete disaster.

“It’s not been easy by any means, but what we have seen is a community – mostly made up of people who wouldn’t come to the church very often in ordinary times – coming and helping us, and then actually coming to services when we’ve been able to have them,” she said.

“How lovely is that? They’ve felt a connection to this place, whether that’s a connection because they care for a beautiful ancient building, or a connection in a religious way.

“Whatever that is, there has been a connection that has grown from this last year, and that’s something very positive we’ve taken from it.”

Asked whether she is frustrated over the regular floods, she said: “We’re ‘the church that floods’ – that’s what we’re known as, so there’s probably not much point being annoyed by it.

“The frustrating thing is that we’ve had to stop the face-to-face services due to Covid, and there are a lot of elderly people who are not able to have that time here at the moment, but the response to the flooding has been a significant positive throughout all of this.”

A community group called ‘Friends of the Dixton Church’ has been set up by people who helped in response to Storm Dennis, and has been called on since.

‘A traumatic year’

Husband and wife Rozi and Rob Morris, who live on Hadnock Road in Monmouth, were flooded a day before Mr Morris had an operation to remove a cancer on his liver.

Rozi and Rob Morris. Picture: Rob Morris

Pumping station at Monmouth on February 15. Picture: Rob Morris

Rozi and Rob Morris' house in Monmouth during Storm Dennis. Picture: Rob Morris

Now well, Mr Morris has reflected on what he called a “traumatic year” in which he had to undergo his treatment away from the family home after they were forced to leave for six months.

After a pumping station beside the Wye was flooded on February 15, he says sewage which would usually be pushed through the station began to overflow from the river, and ended up in his home – around half a mile away.

“It was disgusting – the smell was horrendous, and within two hours it was about two-and-a-half feet deep,” he said.

“The following day I was in hospital for cancer treatment and the insurers then told us we had to move out for six months. It was certainly a stressful time.”

Mrs Morris’s mum, Amy Winifred Hawkins, recently turned 110 and is the oldest woman in Wales.

“We’ve had me with cancer, the house being flooded, and looking after Rozi’s mum during a pandemic,” he added. “It’s been a traumatic year really, but we’re really delighted to come out the other end.”

Work is still being carried out on the outside of their home, and Mr Morris says he does sometimes worry whether they will be flooded again.

'Pivotal moment'

In October, following a six-month review into the flooding caused by Storm Dennis, Natural Resources Wales said the storm should act as a ‘pivotal moment’ in the way Wales reacts to extreme weather.

Picture: Vince Cox

Flooding at Llanfoist Bridge in Storm Dennis. Picture: Vince Cox

Mountain Rescue team members rescue Peter Morgan from his house where he has lived his whole life. Picture: PA

The agency's recommended approach would combine physical flood defences with more natural forms of flood management and "improved community resilience".

Clare Pillman, the agency's chief executive, said scientific evidence showed climate change would accelerate the scale of "extreme weather events" like the February floods.

“Among the issues our reviews have identified, there are things that can and have been addressed quickly," Ms Pillman said. "Other areas of improvement will require significant investment, design and planning and will take some time, possibly years, to fully resolve.

“But there are clearly lessons to learn and improvements to be made for all bodies responsible for flood risk management in Wales. While we can’t attribute every storm to the effects of climate change, the scientific evidence suggests we are likely to see more of these extreme weather events in the future."