The Prince of Wales has said a “holistic” approach to tackle extreme flooding is needed as he met villagers living with the threat of the upcoming storm season.
William sympathised with residents in the rural settlement of Skenfrith who might be “anxious” about extreme weather events he said were no longer “one in 50-year” occurrences but seemed to be happening every year.
Four major floods in six years
Skenfrith has faced four major floods in six years but the most recent last winter caused the biggest impact in the Welsh village after the River Monnow swept through after Storm Claudia brought a month’s rain in 24 hours to parts of England and Wales.
William was visiting the area to learn about how communities have been affected by recent flooding and what measures are being taken by local authorities and other agencies to mitigate future incidents.
Residents share their experiences
He chatted to Rod and Helen Wyatt at their garden gate and was told how the water almost topped gravestones in a cemetery opposite and they have now tiled the ground floor of their house and just live with the threat of flooding.
Mr Wyatt, who has lived in his home for 10 years, made light of the experience when he told William at one point “we had to give up really, we got two bottles of Prosecco and went to watch Strictly upstairs”.
William’s call for a holistic view
William replied: “It must be so demoralising for you now, the worry each year you’ve got to go through that again, potentially, is becoming more frequent.
“They keep talking about a one in 50-year event, it doesn’t make sense anymore.
“It might be in the researching and scientific point of view – it’s happening every year now, it’s mad.
“So, it’s trying to understand how we can do a better holistic view of the whole catchment area, so we’re dealing with the whole problem.”
He listed a number of ideas from “slowing the water down” using farming landscaping remedies, tree planting and better monitoring “so we know when things might be getting worse”.
