Commenting on the publication of a report by Natural Resources Wales into this winter’s coastal flooding and its 47 recommendations for the Welsh Government and other authorities, Russell George AM, Shadow Minister for the Environment, said:
“This winter’s coastal flooding was devastating for a number of Welsh communities and people in parts of North and West Wales are living with the consequences to this day.
“Flooding is a threat to lives, property and standard of living, not to mention the damaging impact on small businesses, which are less resilient to a temporary interruption in trading.
“The courage and determination of community volunteers was a credit to our communities and Ministers should examine whether there could be a more formal role for trained volunteers to assist in civil emergencies.
“Labour Ministers should ensure that any future response to flooding is more joined up with improved channels of communication between the various organisations and greater clarity about their roles.
“Labour Ministers must learn the lessons from this report including making the necessary investment to prepare coastal communities for the threat of flooding.”
