The day the tide came in (Flooding at Towyn, North Wales 1990)
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- This video is about the flooding of Towyn, North Wales which occurred on 26th February 1990 when the sea wall was breached. It has been compiled from footage filmed by a local resident, copies of which were produced on VHS tape. If anyone knows the identity of this person I would like to give him credit for his work. (March 2015 - I have been given to understand that the credit for this footing should go to Roland Clauw of Belgrano).
My Dad was a hero this day. The bus in the video he drove and saved 6 people carrying them to safety.
The water was only 3ft deep, they could have walked to safety I'm sure, unles they were primordial dwarfs. Only joking big up to you dad, who knows how bad the floods were going to get. All that damage and the insurance companies getting away with it calling it an act of God. Isn't everything an act of God ??
Lies
@@IsraelForlife-nb7zqyou were not born in 1990
We were told about this here in NZ, but never realised how bad it was. My Wife is from Sand Bank Road, she wonders how Morris Holiday Camp fared as her mother had associations with that Camp . So sad to see I hope it never happens again for the folk of Towyn, Kinmel Bay and Rhyl Our Home town.
thanks for the upload best time in towyn
Smellypies lol nice name 😂
Went through it in a police range rover, ChezzeeX is right, cannot believe it was 25 years ago, it was nuts. I remember the black sky that morning, the wind and being on a sixth form course in school. Really miss Bentley's night club.....Bentley's was awesome Bring back Bentley's, stunning memories lol :) Credit to person who filmed this.
I was working as a Press photographer back then - I was driving back from Colwyn Bay when it happened and drove into it at Belgrano.
Ferocious storm and sea - I drove back on the top road to Rhuddlan but the water came right up Gors Rd from Towyn.
I managed to book a private aircraft from Liverpool and fly over to photograph the carnage - then spent the next week on the ground covering the aftermath.
Horrendous event - but it’ll happen again … you can’t defeat that combination of tide and fierce weather.
Hi Bob, thanks so much for your comments which describe exactly what it was lke on that fateful day. We lived down Gors Road and our house was 3’6” deep in sea water causing total destruction of everthing on the ground floor. I couldn’t believe the speed at which the sea engulfed Towyn. Thankfully, it didn’t happen at night when many older people living in bungalows might have lost their lives.
@@DavidTaylor-Paphos It’s one of those events that will never leave my memory Dave.
I organised a flood victims fundraiser gig for The Alarm … they played at Pontins Prestatyn.
There’s a few books published with my photographs in I think?
I almost drowned at the bottom of Sandy Cove bridge - my welly got stuck in the handle of a floating wheelbarrow and pulled me into the water. Weighed down with loads of camera equipment and one of those Motorola mobile phone packs, I struggled to keep my head above water.
Thankfully, Terry Williams from The Journal saved me
Can't believe its been 25 years. I remember it well.
I was a teenager then and was going with my parents. We had to cancel but went after it was cleared up. I remember the rocks being put by the wall on beach. I went there last summer and took my kids.
28 years ago i remember it like it was yesterday
kind of remember floods of 1990 but we moved to kinmel bay 2013 months latter we were flooded never thought would be this bad again ..
35..
Should have shouted over the tannoy system “Waves in the lagoon pool Literally!”
Wow! I had no idea that it was so bad.
Growing up, we had a caravan on Miller's Cottage, and spent every weekend and school summer holidays there.
What fantastic memories!
In May, I continue to visit with Mum and we hire a luxury lodge overlooking the sea.
I will always love this place!
I grew up at miller's cottage.. Was my second home!! My gran and grandad had a caravan there for years.. Absolutely loved it there and still love towyn.. Xx
We've still got a caravan on Miller's today Paige. Are van was completely lucky )
Spent my child hood holidays in miller's cottages several of my uncles and aunts had caravan next two other happy 1960s memory's
I'm surprised no other home video was taken or has been updated to youtube besides this footage and news clips. Video cameras where around back then and not all that expensive and by 1990 they were relatively commonplace. Maybe there is more footage out there that remains to be seen but the owner of said footage doesn't want to share it online. It was good that this was vidoed for posterity.
Thank you for your comments. Yes, there must be more footage out there but I haven't seen any yet.
@@DavidTaylor-Paphos Thanks for that, yes I'm sure there was other footage filmed. Off topic, but you don't happen to know which caravan park in Rhyl or Towyn had that large giraffe that stood outside the amusements?. I have a photo from the 1950s of my dad and auntie sat on it but I have no idea which campsite it was only that it was around Towyn. My dad is no longer here to ask him and my auntie probably wouldn't know. It was probably either Winkups, Lyons, Robin Hood or maybe another place.
Here in towyn right now, chilling in a caravan enjoying the glorious weather😎 hasnt changed just newer cars
Don't forget more modern caravans as well.
@@stephenduncan3605 correct👍 happy memories
31 years ago. I remember going to look at the floods,
Love this old footage.
i lived there many years an experienced that flood the sludge left behind smelt horrible
I was working in the aftermath of the flood with ISON BUILDERS it was a bad week that was with all the flood water damage
Excellent video, thanks for putting it up, only just found it. Really well filmed too. Remember it all too well.
The initial commentary made me laugh, how he said it was supposed to be the start of the Summer season when the floods actually occured at the end of February which is still Winter
Gosh, I well remember this - it was terrible how Thatcher & Co completely ignored it until the damage was done.
Thanks you for commenting. Yes it was all too late for the residents of 2000 homes.
Why is there very little footage of Rhyl, Towyn and Abergele uploaded to youtube from the 80s and 90s?. Considering Towyn and Rhyl were (and still are) a popular place for caravan/camping holidays with dozens of holiday parks everywhere, you would think there would be quite a few home video recordings from the 1980s and 90s, and yet searching for anything from those decades (and even from the early 2000s) comes up with nothing. I've always thought that was abit odd. All that comes up is stuff from the last 10 years taken on someone's smartphone. Know doubt videos exist but it's probably most people are reluctant to upload them.
Also, I came across a postcard from the 1980s but the name Towyn is spelt as Tywyn, and according to the description below the photo it says that this was the original name, but I've never known Towyn being spelt like that, unless it's the Welsh spelling.
there is place called Tywyn in North Wales that isn't Towyn, it's pronounced differently
Since when does a summer season start on the 26th February?
Thanks for your comments. As you recall, caravans were tossed up in the air by the waves and some of the camps along the coast were shut for months. Some residents didn’t get back into their homes for 2 years.
I remember it well. Even though I was in my late teens, I volunteered for some days at Abergele Police station, with a bunch of other radio hams on shifts, using our own equipment to provide emergency radio communications links along the coast to assist in the rescue effort of people and even animals. ITV News did a bit about it shortly after, and Bob Greaves came along to Kinmel Camp for a TV feature, where a lot of volunteers (including me) were publicly thanked for their assistance.
we had a caravan on Owens camp and luckily we didnt get much damage but it was awful seeing everyones homes and caravans destroyed
Yes, it was a terrible time for all. Thanks for your comment
This will happen again theyve just put rocks on the shore which wont remedy anything
And they know this, but that doesn't matter to them except making the sea front look ugly with more concrete sea walls and rocks obscuring everyone's view of the sea, not that you see much sea anyway today with all the wind turbines on the horizon which do bugger all for energy only make huge profits for the companies that own them.
I've never been in a flood, but these poor people who lost their caravans must of been awful., and those houses all flooded, can't help mother nature
Hi, yes it was a worrying time for everyone especially older people. Thanks for your comments
Even if they built rocks 20 feet high, I can't see how ROCKS will hold back water. Maybe I'm wrong.
It's not so much the height but the depth which is backing up the sea wall.
The rocks are what is called a soft rock embankment designed to dissipate the force of the water i.e. break up the wave action. I worked on it for the interim works in 1990 and the main works in 1991.
@@victoriabailey1337 + Still there in 2019.
They have actually built it higher, I have seen it there is no way the sea can go over that!
I remember this very well so sad for the residents and for caravan owners I remember it coming on northwest news and I was very upset listening to this so so sad 😭
Hi, yes it was a very traumatic time for everyone. Thankfully, it happened during daytime otherwise there could have been a lot of elderly deaths. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
My Nan who lives on the other side of the world from me that lives in the very start of Abergele her house flooded there was 1 inch of water and her street had 8 inches and only 0.8 miles there was no water there
Yes Amy, it was a difficult time for everyone. Thanks for your comment.
Remember this I was 8 in local school towyn infants . Fire brigade came with double decker buses and took us from the school. Then went to hot point in bodelwyddan cause our house was flooded . To be fair the water was no more than few foot high don’t see why the helicopter was there
Iy was a terrible time for everyone, 2000 homes evacuated. Some residents were out of their homes for over a year. I guess it was easier to survey the area by helicopter than by road.
How sad to see..cruel sea🌊🌊doesn't care..hope no one was hurt❤
Hi, thankfully, no one was fatally injured during that night. It happened early in the morning so people were awake. Thank you for your comments.
Was it a tsunami ?
I was living on golden sands at the time slap bang in the middle of it all.......my house was on the video
That driving instructor is a hard worker not even a flood will stop him🤣
I agree, that’s what you call dedication!! Thanks for your comments
I remember it all I had a caravan but we were lucky it was ok
You must have been very lucky since most were tossed up into the air. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I remember it well we had booked to go to Ryhl in the jume on the Winkups camp but had to be cancelled caus of the floods so ended going Blackpool instead
Thank you for your response. Yes, many holidays were disrupted that year.
Remember this well.
My Dad Alf Needham my brother Peter Needham and me Jimmy rebuilt the wall over the Black Cat ( 7..03) after it became unsafe because the bricklayers who had built it originally didn't put wall ties in.We worked on the inside walls as well .It was around Christmas about 1965 .We went to the pub on the corner and came back drunk .I remember my dad had blood running down his hand because he kept missing the chisel he was knocking a hole in a wall with . We eventually gave up and went home.
My grandmother owned 8 caravans at Winkups , she lived in one most of the year and rented the other 7 out . She was rescued by police as the water rose. Lost all 8 and she died not long after . She had years left in her but seeing the loss of the vans I reckoned she couldn't keep going .
Sorry to hear about you grandmother. I’m sure there were quite a few deaths as a result of the flooding.
@@DavidTaylor-Paphos Thanks for the upload , There was some footage of the caravan park we went to, spent many happy weekends and holidays there in North Wales, brought back many happy memories .
Anyone know why nearly every caravan park now at Rhyl and Towyn are owned by Lyons?. It used to be just Lyons Robin Hood, but now there is Lyons Winkups and nearly every site along Towyn road is owned by Lyons. Are the people who own Lyons billionaires or something? lol. Does anyone know which caravan park had that model giraffe outside the amusements?, this was in the 1950s so a very long time ago now.
Right now I'm in goldensands in Towyn in caravan and the wind is really strong and rain
It was mad - Never forget it.
Neither will I, traumatic time for everyone. Thanks for your comment
how the hell did this happen...unbelievabls..!
I lived in Kimnel Bay still remember it well. My dad packed all the stuff we lived in a bungalow he drove my mum & dog to their friends hotel and we stayed there. The video the RNLI fella dancing in the water 😂😆😊The fella smoking a ciggie with a life jacket on just brilliant. We lived on the red row estate it’s in the clip . Aww that’s brought back such good memories
Many thanks for your comments
If this happened today they would be pushing the climate change (ex global warming) nonsense down our throats. Just wondering, but do you know the name of the caravan site (I'm talking here about the 50s and 60s) where they had a giraffe outside the amusements that kids could sit on?. Can't think of the name only that it was at Towyn or possibly Rhyl, could've been Lyons or Robin Hood campsite.
My parents was affected in pensarn
Hi Karen, over 2000 homes were evacuated, hope your parents were not in that position. many people were in temporary accommodation for up to 2 yeas. Thanks for your comments.
@@DavidTaylor-Paphos they had to leave their bungalow for 6 weeks
My dad used to have a go karting track opersite tir prince funfair. He used to say how bad it was. Never thought it was this bad
Omg!
Don't sit there run
Thanks for the comment. It was a bad experience for everyone concerned. This sort of thing seems to be on the increase everywhere these days!
Sorry but this is bad sea wall building... Cornwall has battled the ocean for thousands of years, with many of our villages and towns built right upto the ocean. Even our sea defences have run aways. If you have made it water tight both sides when the waves breach the walls it's just going to create a swimming pool.... lol.. sorry I know it isn't funny, but trust me when I say there's a reason we built our Cornish homes out of Granite, right on the rocks. But there's also a reason why we built our defences with run aways, even our granite garden walls have them.
How did that help at Boscastle ?
@@airvicemarshalsirgeorgemas2083it didn't. Cornwall is just acting sophisticated
who got sent here for hw
hw?
@@DavidTaylor-Paphos homework
me, I have to write an essay about it.
Bentleys night club....fucking awesome!!!!😎👍 remember it well. Abergele posse rules!!!
Recently reopened, and then got shutdown again 😂