Since the Industrial Revolution we have pumped increasing amounts of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere to produce more industrial goods and to have more efficient .Ultimately this is having the effect of raising the average temperature of the earth we live on , which in turn warms the polar regions , melting polar icecaps , and glaciers .This is further made worse by the burning of forests in both hemispheres . The is widely called Climate Change because it has been scientifically proved that our industrial production has significantly increased the rate of climate change (in addition which occurs naturally ).
The net effect of this is that the sea level is gradually beginning to rise and the temperature of the sea is beginning to increase which has two major effects .The severity of winds increases in oceans and also the gulf stream changes which in turn effects the amount of winds and current that we receive in the North Atlantic . Ultimately this change in our climate threatens us because the change in atmospheric pressure , resulting in greater and more intense winds which create erosion of our coasts and directly effects our coastal communities . It also increases , periodically both the amount and intensity of rain which results in an increase of flooding , particularly in river valleys .In N Wales, in a matter of a few days there were significant floods affecting the communities of ST Asaph and Ruthin .
On the 5th December 2013 an incidence of severe sea swell , north westerly winds and a high tide resulted in a severe inundation by the sea in the area of splash point , to the east of Rhyl . This lead to huge amounts of sea water flooding 180 homes , making them not fit for habitation for a minimum of several months . There are still homes which have not been restored for the owners to live in them.
Most exhibitions on floods , concentrate on water and the dramatic effect it presents to a community .I wanted this to be a different exhibition .One that highlighted the effects it has on peoples lives and their possessions . The things that the headlines forget about , the issues of people struggling with their insurance ,the complexity of co-ordinating rescue services , social services , police and charity work to restore a sense of community . To achieve this I had to be incredibly persistent and occasionally was met with bemused and sceptical householders . Ultimately they placed their trust in me , which enabled me to achieve my aim of documenting a beleaguered community , under the extreme stress that that most powerful of forces of nature , the sea , can produce . I would like publically thank them for helping and supporting me in this aim . Without their support this exhibition would not have been possible . In 2010 I HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE ON TAKING THE THEN Mayor and his wife , of Rhyl, round a national exhibition on climate change . I showed them one of my photographs of a teenager in the Ganges Delta, Bangladesh ,, standing on the ruins of his house , submerged by the rising tide . I simply said , maybe this could be Rhyl and they looked incredulous . I am really sorry for everyone who suffered , in any way from the inundation, that nature proved me correct . Recently Natural Resources Wales has allocated £1.9 million to improving the sea defences of this stretch of coast , hopefully preventing a similar incident ever taking place again.