£1.8m to repair flood defences following Storm Claudia
The emergency funding will enable 11 councils to undertake urgent repairs to ensure flood defences can continue to protect communities effectively throughout the winter
The Welsh Government has confirmed £1.8 million in emergency funding will go towards repairing flood defence infrastructure damage due to Storm Claudia.
Following extreme weather in November- countless homes and businesses were devastated by flooding.
Local authorities across Wales also saw assets suffer significant damage.
The emergency funding will enable 11 councils to undertake urgent repairs to ensure flood defences can continue to protect communities effectively throughout the winter.
“Flooding has devastating impacts"
Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, Huw Irranca-Davies said:
“Flooding has devastating impacts, which is why we have invested a record more than £377 million to reduce flood risks across Wales over the lifetime of this government.
“The extreme weather we experienced in November caused considerable damage to vital flood defence infrastructure across Wales.
On the 15th November, a major incident was declared in Monmouth due to the flooding as a result of Storm Claudia:
The Deputy First Minister said it's a priority to prepare towns and cities for future flooding:
“Protecting communities remains a top priority for this government and it is essential we act quickly to repair these assets so they can continue to defend against future extreme weather events.
"This £1.8 million emergency funding will allow local authorities to begin urgent repair works immediately, ensuring our defences are restored to full capacity as quickly as possible.”
The Welsh Government says local authorities will receive the full cost of eligible repair works, which 'reflects the scale and impact of the damage caused by Storm Claudia.'
The funding will be allocated through the Welsh Government's Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme.