CLEAN-UP CONTINUES AFTER DENNIS WREAKS HAVOC ACROSS WALES
HIGHWAYS teams at Bridgend County Borough Council are continuing the clean-up operation across the county after Storm Dennis hit the region.
Over the weekend, they worked around the clock to deal with a number of properties affected by flooding in Ogmore Vale and Nantymoel, as well as flooded roads and fallen trees throughout the borough.
In Corbett Street, Ogmore Vale, council workers put sandbags around homes after a culvert was overwhelmed by the rainfall.
Investigations into the extent of the flooding within properties and to establish the cause of the flooding is ongoing by officers from the flood management team.
Also at least one property was affected by flooding in Commercial Street, Ogmore Vale, and sandbags were delivered to properties throughout the area including two properties in John Street, Nantymoel.
There were further issues with a number of culverts in Pencoed – at Min-y-Nant and Greenacre Drive – with highway teams having to clear them in the early hours of Sunday morning.
At the height of the rainfall, several roads were flooded with some being closed until the water subsided and the storm debris was cleared.
The A4061 Bwlch Mountain was closed in the early hours of Sunday morning as water was discharging from the mountain at such a force it was overtopping the walls and drains.
Council staff cleared up the area, reopening the road to Rhondda Cynon Taf but kept the section closed to Neath Port Talbot, while Neath Port Talbot Council cleared away storm debris on its side.
On Sunday afternoon, the A4063 Maesteg Road was reopened after a tree was removed.
The road between Court Colman Manor and Penyfai remained closed on Monday due to trees leaning on BT cables – there are planned works ongoing by BT in the area, and BCBC will be working with it to resolve the issue and get the road open as soon as possible.
Council leader Huw David said: “Our teams worked tirelessly and did an incredible job over the weekend.
“Culvert sensors went off at many locations throughout Saturday night with the team clearing them very quickly to help prevent further flooding.
“Our officers are calling into the properties affected by flooding and getting details together on the extent of the damage and identifying the causes.
“There continues to be lots of water and debris on carriageways, especially where water was running off nearby land.
“Staff are using machinery to clear up as reports come in where there are any issues.
“They are also working to clear blocked drains as quickly as possible.”
Before the full force of the storm hit on Saturday, crowds of people gathered to catch a view of the waves crashing over Porthcawl pier.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service says it received an unprecedented 1,300 calls over the weekend.
Firefighters conducted a significant amount of life rescues, including incidents where lives were directly at risk due to the dangerous conditions which prevailed.
Over 350 emergency calls were received for the Pontypridd, Nantgarw and Aberdare areas alone.
A spokeswoman said: “We would like to thank the public for their cooperation over the weekend
and offer reassurance that we are there for our communities whenever required.
“Whilst the situation across the region shows signs of improvement, public warnings and alerts remain in place and must be adhered to and respected.
“We appreciate all of the support we have had from partner agencies, volunteers’ organisations and our communities during this challenging time.
“During the adverse weather conditions we had around 300 firefighters actively on duty at any one time.”
First Minister Mark Drakeford has defended the Welsh Government’s investment into flood defences following the widespread damage caused by the storm.
Mr Drakeford visited several homes in one of South Wales’ worst hitcommunities, Oxford Street in Nantgarw, which saw heavy flooding at the weekend leaving properties and businesses ruined.
He responded to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, who had earlier said the current level of investment in flood prevention “clearly isn’t adequate”.
The Welsh Labour leader said: “There has been major investment in flood defences, and the impact of the events over the weekend would’ve been even worse if it weren’t for the investment that had already been made.
“Of course there is more to do. We have a £350m investment programme over this Assembly term in flood and coastal flooding programmes.
“The impact of global warming is real and there for anyone to see, the science tells us we will have to face in greater frequency these intense weather events in future.
“And we will have to make sure that in our planning – whether in emergency planning, flood relief planning or planning for having people on the ground – that we take into account the best advice we can get from the UK climate change committee, which guides our actions in this area.”
The Emergency Coordination Centre Wales – which coordinates teams from the police, fire, military, and health sectors – was in operation on Sunday, which the First Minister said had a “very well established set of mechanisms to deal with emergencies of this sort”.
Mr Drakeford said the Welsh Government would work with local authorities to repair infrastructure damage by flooding including bridges, roads and existing flood defences.
He also said it would explore whether there were funds available to help flood victims, local authorities and emergency services.
Mr Drakeford said: “For individuals our first focus will be on those families who don’t have any form of insurance who lost everything and have no way of replacing it.
“We’ve been working already to see whether there are funds we might be able to identify and, if we can, then we will be then looking to find a mechanism in which we can give our money to those who need it the most as quickly as we can.”
The Met Office issued another yellow weather warning for rain this week.
It came into effect at 6pm yesterday and is due to last until 3pm today as another Atlantic storm system moves over the UK.
This further spell of rainfall is likely to become particularly prolonged over areas of high ground, leading to the chance for flooding and travel disruption.
“Whilst there is more uncertainty over the rainfall totals for South Wales, there is a small chance that 50-60mm could fall here in 24 hours,” the Met Office said.
With the ground already saturated and rivers running high, there are fears further rainfall could trigger renewed flooding.
The yellow “be aware” warning advises homes and businesses should be prepared for the risk.
Delays to train and bus services are also expected as well as difficult driving condition for motorists.
More unsettled weather is due to arrive at the weekend.