Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Today marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Towyn floods, and I can recall the event vividly, even though I was just 13 years old. I was sat in a classroom, waiting for the English teacher to arrive. I was amongst a small group of pupils that were fixated by the view towards Towyn through the window. We saw towering waves, 40 ft high, smashing into the sea wall, and it was an incredible spectacle. But what we didn't realise is that those waves were pounding a 400m hole in the sea defences and the tide was rushing in. Within 20 minutes, 400 homes were under water, and, an hour later, it was thousands. The water came two miles inland, and it affected communities five miles along the coast. Our home—a bungalow—was submerged. All our belongings were lost, and irreplaceable items like family photos and keepsakes from relatives were destroyed. Along with 6,000 other people, we were evacuated: the largest evacuation since the second world war. It was six months before we moved back into our home and finally got our lives together, and other families took even longer.

Today, Towyn and Kinmel Bay are still thriving seaside resorts. They always have been, and no doubt always will be, but our daily lives are regularly interrupted by flood alerts when bad weather and high tides are forecast, and, even now, 30 years on, our sea defences remain vulnerable and are in need of further investment. Storms Ciara and Dennis have reminded us all of the power of the water. Let them and the events of 30 years ago in Towyn be a wake-up call to us all to do what we can to work together to prevent the devastation that flooding can cause.