People in Shropshire warned to 'be prepared' for flooding after Storm Goretti
A number of flood alerts are in place in the county
People in Shropshire are being warned to be prepared for flooding, following Storm Goretti.
It brought heavy snowfall on Thursday night (8th Jan). The Met Office recorded 16cm at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys and 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire.
'Anywhere along the River Severn'
Tracey Garrett is the CEO of the National Flood Forum: "With snowmelt, we can see road flooding, which can be particularly troublesome.
"We advise people to take care and not drive through flood water.
"The thing about Shropshire is that it also has one of the main rivers of the UK running through it. We can see areas of concern anywhere along the River Severn.
Preparing for flooding...
The latest list of flood alerts for Shropshire can be found here.
Tracey has this advice for anyone living near a flood alert: "You should have a grab bag ready to go in case you need it. That should include things that you cannot live without, like money and medication.
"In terms of preparing your home, get your valuables out of the way and important documents up high. The key point is not to take risks," she said.
'Be vigilant'
A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:
“We are urging people in the West Midlands to be vigilant this coming week for flood issues.
“Recent rain and snow melt has triggered some alerts and warnings across the region and the forecast remains unsettled especially Thursday evening into Friday.
'Keep up to date'
"Environment Agency teams are out on the ground, taking action to reduce the impact of flooding and support those communities affected.
“We urge people not to drive though flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.
"People should search ‘check my flood risk’, get free flood warnings, and keep up to date with the latest situation on our social media."