Storm Claudia forces rescues amid 'danger to life' warnings

"The second the car stopped, my dad yelled for us to all climb on to the roof."

Bethan Turner has described how she, her father and her boyfriend were left standing on the roof of their submerged Range Rover while holding on to a tree after their 4x4 was swept into fast-flowing water overnight.

Her dad was driving back to Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, from Hereford station when it became "stuck" and they had to scramble on to its roof in the darkness, as fire crews tried to rescue them.

She described their rescuers as "absolutely incredible".

A major incident has been declared in Monmouth by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service with crews helping dozens of people to safety.

The fire service said fast-moving water and blocked routes had created "challenging" conditions.

Its teams have carried out rescues, evacuations and welfare checks, with Gwent Police, Welsh Ambulance Service and Monmouthshire council staff also providing assistance along with Sara (Severn Area Rescue Association), mountain rescue, Coastguard staff and members of neighbouring fire and rescue services.

Firefighters dealt with about 85 flooding incidents and evacuations, it added.

The service estimated 685 homes were without power which could not be turned back on because of the flood water.

Meanwhile, a team of British Red Cross volunteers have been at Monmouth local leisure centre helping people who were evacuated.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued four severe flood warnings in Monmouth amid concern of a "significant risk to life" with the River Monnow reaching record levels, exceeding those recorded during Storm Dennis in 2020 and Storm Bert in 2024.

Recalling her rescue, Bethan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast fire crews were on either side "trying to get to us, but the water was too deep and too strong for them to actually reach us".

She explained how their vehicle was pushed into the fast flowing water before being stopped by a tree and "the second the car stopped, my dad yelled for us to all climb on to the roof".

"The water was up to the windows.

"It was so strong and so powerful, the firefighters were saying under no circumstances get in the water," Bethan said.

"We were just stood on top of it. It's completely submerged at this point.

"We're holding on to a tree that we're sort of wedged into.

"There is six inches maybe of water flowing on top of the car.

"It's completely gone and it's really dark so now it's a case of them trying to find us with a boat."

Bethan said after being rescued, they were dropped off at a pub where the firefighters suggested they "have a pint".

"And so we did," recalled Bethan.

"Not only did this wonderful woman take us in, but one of the women who works at the pub brought us some clothes [that] I'm currently wearing."

Her mother also managed to get to the pub to check on their safety as Bethan had brought along her boyfriend to meet her family for the first time.

"It was quite funny when we got off the boat, we had this big hug and we were all just holding on to each other and my boyfriend just goes, 'well, nice to meet you'."

First Minister Eluned Morgan and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies thanked the emergency services for "working tirelessly in dreadful conditions to keep people safe", as well as those looking out for others.

"It is often at times of hardship that we see the best of people," they said in a joint statement.

Monmouth MP Catherine Fookes said her "thoughts are with everyone affected by the severe flooding".

"The scenes across the county are shocking and I can only imagine how devastating this is for residents whose homes and businesses have been affected," she said.

"Monmouthshire has a fantastic community spirit and I know we will continue to pull together and support one another as the clean-up begins."

The severe flood warnings cover the River Wye at Monmouth with others on the River Monnow at Watery Lane, Over Monnow; Forge Road, Osbaston; and Skenfrith.

"I haven't seen it this bad in Monmouth for 20 to 30 years," said local county councillor Martin Newell, who has a business in the town.

He said he was "absolutely heartbroken" for those affected.

"These are friends that own these businesses and also live in these properties."

He paid tribute to 999 crews who had been working in the area since Friday afternoon, and local businesses for providing them with food and hot drinks.

"We've got a big job ahead. We're going to clean this up and we will get it done."

He told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast flood defences had protected the town "somewhat over the last few decades" so "this wasn't supposed to happen".

"To have flooding on this scale is really rare and I didn't expect to see this ever again after the flood defences were built.

"And this is why this is so heartbreaking because this isn't supposed to happen.

"We need to find out what's happened here, do a full investigation and make sure this doesn't happen again."

Monmouthshire council said staff were "working with blue light services to support residents" and would "assess the damage and begin the clean up process" over the weekend.

Monmouthshire County Council leader Mary Ann Brockelsbury said: "My heart goes out to every business and every family in Monmouthshire that has been directly and indirectly affected by the floods.

"We were expecting Storm Claudia, we were ready, we were prepared.

"We had learnt the lessons from last year from Storm Bert but nobody could have predicted the extent of the damage caused by Storm Claudia.

"The Monnow broke its banks - that is unprecedented in Monmouth.

"All the modelling didn't give us that.

"We knew something was happening, we were ready and prepared but not to this level."

Transport for Wales said a number of rail services have been affected due to flooding and advised customers "not to attempt to travel" between Shrewsbury and Newport.

"We have been unable to source sufficient replacement road transport and cannot guarantee customers will be able to reach their destination," it said, adding that the Conwy Valley line is also shut.

The storm caused travel disruption on Friday evening and left hundreds of homes without power, coming days after flooding in Carmarthen was described by one business owner as the "worst in living memory".