95-Year-Old Flood Victim Spends Months Living in Pub Before Passing Away

A 95-year-old woman evacuated from her flooded home lived in a local pub's guest rooms for ten months before passing away in September without ever returning to her flat.

What Happened

Jean Powell was rescued in the early hours of November 15 last year when neighbours hammered on her door as the River Monnow burst its banks during Storm Claudia. The river hit 18 times its normal level in south Wales, flooding more than 400 properties and overwhelming defences built 35 years ago. After sleeping on a neighbour's chair, Jean moved into Monmouth's Wetherspoons hotel rooms because she had no close family to care for her. She stayed there for nearly ten months, apart from three nights at a Premier Inn over Christmas when the pub was shut. Her flat in the Chippenham Court retirement complex required extensive drying out and a one-million-pound refurbishment that is nearing completion.

Impact

Friend and neighbour Wyn Smith noted that Jean's health deteriorated while living in a single room and she constantly asked when she could go home. Other residents have stayed with family, in rented homes, or in care facilities following the disaster. Many locals reported that the trauma of the floods exceeded their wartime experiences, and residents now live in constant fear of future storms.

Context

The Met Office states that climate change has increased the frequency of record-breaking wet winters from once in 80 years to once in 20 years. Natural Resources Wales warns that long-range forecasts indicate an increased likelihood of wetter weather this winter.