A committee will assess Wales’ readiness for floods after recent events
Newport: So, here’s the scoop. MPs are gearing up to find out if Wales was ready for the recent floods and what the future holds.
The Welsh Affairs Committee, led by Ruth Jones, is bringing in some big names for a chat. They’ll hear from Jeremy Parr, who’s in charge of flood risk management at Natural Resources Wales, Simon Brown from The Met Office, and Russell Turner from The Flood Forecasting Centre. This meeting is set for December 18.
Why the urgency? Well, Storm Bert hit hard, flooding over 400 homes in South Wales and causing a whopping £250 million in damages across the UK. That’s a lot of cash!
During the session, they’ll dig into whether the warnings for Storm Bert were good enough and how well the weather warning system works to keep folks safe during extreme weather.
They might also chat about climate change and the risks it brings, like the landslides from coal tips that happened after Storm Bert. Remember that landslide in Cwmtillery? Yeah, that’s what they’re talking about.
Plus, the committee is looking into how industrial waste might be making floods worse, as part of their new inquiry into Wales’ industrial history. It’s a lot to unpack, but they’re on it!