'Prepare for the unthinkable' warning over autumn flooding — SkimNews
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- Natural Resources Wales warned people to "prepare for the unthinkable," citing long-range forecasts showing a heightened likelihood of wetter, windier weather than usual over the coming months
- More than 274,500 homes and businesses in Wales — roughly one in seven properties — are classed at risk of flooding, a figure set to rise significantly by the end of the century
- Only 48,844 of the 181,158 eligible properties are signed up for NRW's flood warnings via phone or email, a signup rate NRW's Jeremy Parr admitted is "low — 27%"
- Monmouth residents including 82-year-old Malcolm Butcher described November 2025 flooding as "unbelievable," with 18 cars on his road lost to the waters and houses on the street behind completely flooded
- In Cardigan, Ceredigion, café owner Jane Roche coordinated a community flood plan while Mayor Olwen Davies bought a flood door and flood gate, crediting strong south-westerly winds combined with high tides as the worst-case trigger
- Scientists are monitoring an El Niño event described as "strongest in living memory," which NRW said is "part of the picture" driving concern ahead of storms comparable to Dennis (2020), Bert and Darragh (2024), and Claudia (2025)
Why it matters: With one-in-seven Welsh properties at flood risk and only 27% of eligible households signed up for alerts, the vast majority of at-risk residents could be caught off-guard if El Niño-fueled storms deliver the wetter, windier autumn forecasters anticipate.
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