There is no doubt that you have seen what has happened over the last few days with the terrible weather and the force of nature from a tidal surge that has made many people evacuate their homes.
I remember back in 1990 when we had a terrible time with the sea breaking the sea defences and rushing through Towyn like a force that couldn’t be stopped, the town was submerged in water and it was devastating for all of us.
Then only last year St Asaph was hit, with the banks of the river breaking and many homes have only just started getting back on their feet after the water came and took back the land that people were living on.
Now we have had a tidal surge hitting nearly all the country, yet again the sea has reclaimed the land that houses are built on and pushed through the sea defences, with Rhyl being hit hard on Thursday.
From experience from 1990, the sea is so fast at coming in land and many of the people living in Rhyl, knew the problems that they could be facing, but the water breached the walls and rushed through their houses.
Around 400 were told to evacuate their homes as the pending surge from the high tide was making its way inland.
Many homes that are yards away from the sea certainly took the brunt of the force, with houses in Kinmel Bay, near Asda, getting a barrage of waves and water hitting them hard, Asda itself had a surge of water racing up St Asaph Avenue only to stop at the Kinmel Bay traffic lights.
The Age Of Social Media Kept People Informed
In this day and age information is everywhere and living in Towyn, I was anxious about the weather and the sea, none of us wanted to relive that awful day in 1990 when the sea came crashing through our doors.
But thanks to the likes of the Environment Agency and newspaper The Daily Post using Twitter, I, like so many others, were able to keep a close eye on how the situation was panning out and even tweets from the public were useful as they posted photos in their areas of the sea.
We've issued a number of #TwitterAlerts today. We only use these for critical warnings when there is a risk to life http://t.co/2sgqw5BWow
— Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) December 5, 2013
Flood warnings removed, but alerts still in place. Please be #floodaware #staysafe #en pic.twitter.com/NYlQDByUwD
— Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru | Natural Resources Wales (@NatResWales) December 5, 2013
https://twitter.com/DaveRPhotos/status/408628332561825793
North Wales floods: what you need to know about road, rail and where you live: http://t.co/CuMw6P3s2X
— North Wales Live (@northwaleslive) December 5, 2013
The tidal surge was the worst in 30 years and has caused so much devastation, thankfully so many people have helped those in need.
Video of rough weather in Rhyl courtesy of Stuey Jones
Rhyl Services At Hand
Let’s not forget to mention the Rhyl services, the Fire, Lifeboat and Police services etc have been fantastic and were at the locations where needed in record time.
They’ve all been working extremely hard to try to help everyone out.
What Next!?
Now it’s all down to a lot of hard work, patience and insurance claims. With many people out of their homes and lot of them being put up in chalets, it’s all going to take time for their houses to be made liveable again.
Knowing what people are going through, my heart goes to them with all the pain they are feeling from losing their homes and their most prized possessions, homes can be repaired, furniture replaced, but it’s the memories in the forms of photographs and treasured items that can never be replaced and this is what hurts the most.
So now its time for the work to start, the charities will have a lot of work set up for them to help those that have lost almost everything and also those that have had to move out will be feeling it over Christmas time.
A charity fund has been set up for the flood victims of Rhyl. To make a donation, Rhyl Town Council’s bank account details are as follow: Sort code: 089250; Account no: 67005527; Account name: North Wales Credit Union600089.
A Warning Of Rogue Traders
It comes to something when people pray on those who have gone through so much, but Denbighshire council is warning people of rogue traders who are looking to cash in by offering services.
The council has warned people of poor quality of work, cash deposits going astray, overcharging and charging people for work that has not been done.
Were you caught in the floods? What is your point of view on the “Sea Defences”? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Photos from the Rhyl Today Facebook group.
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
