Storm Bert: Properties flooded and bridge under construction washed away in South Wales
An urgent response to flooding in a number of areas is taking place
Last updated 9 hours ago
Hundreds of properties have been flooded and a bridge under construction has been washed away in South Wales as a result of flooding caused by Storm Bert.
Major incidents have been declared in a number of areas after homes, roads and businesses ended up submerged.
At a press conference in the Rhondda Valley, council leader Andrew Morgan said two to three hundred properties have been affected by flooding.
He said the buildings are a mixture of residential and commercial properties.
Mr Morgan told the press conference the weather was worse than forecast.
"I am amazed that it was only a yellow weather warning issued," he said.
"We absolutely thought on Saturday... we were preparing for the possibility of an amber warning.
"It didn't come but we took the decision ourselves to step up our resources and have depots open and crews in."
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service's chief fire officer Fin Monahan told the press conference in Pontypridd that a major incident was declared earlier on Sunday based on the number of calls they were getting and the number of assets they were distributing out on the ground.
He said at the peak there was "120 calls stacked up".
He said: "As soon as we declared the major incident, we were in a position that we were then able to offload those calls onto other neighbouring fire and rescue services who then helped us deal with the call flow.
"We had about 75% of our available assets out on the ground and we've had people out on the ground there doing incredible work."
He said it had been a "very busy morning" but the rainfall is forecast to subside on Sunday afternoon.
The Abercynon Feeder Pipe Footbridge over the River Taff in South Wales, which was being rebuilt after being substantially damaged during Storm Dennis in 2020, was completely washed away, councillor Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, said.
"It was completely washed away last night, so the scaffolding, the piers ... everything has completely gone," Mr Morgan told a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
It comes as record river levels were recorded on the Taff on Saturday Night.
Mr Morgan said the river was 23mm higher than it was during Storm Dennis in 2020 at Aberdare monitoring station, which was "considerably higher than previous records" at the time.
Natural Resources Wales responds to Storm Bert flooding
Natural Resources Wales is facing criticism for its preparation and response to this weekend's flooding.
Nick Bettinson, Duty Tactical Manager Wales for Natural Resources Wales, has released this statement in response
“Flooding can be devastating, and our thoughts are with those whose homes and businesses have been impacted by flooding this weekend and over recent years.
“The intensity and duration of the rainfall on saturated ground in steep-sided valleys in this area means that river levels were rising very quickly. In relation to the Taff Valley, we issued a flood warning for the River Taff at Pontypridd at 7:41am when the river reached flood warning trigger level. We are currently focussed on responding to this incident and, as we do with every flood event, we will review the response as we enter the recovery phase.
“We are working closely with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) to review the flood risk in many of the area across the Taff catchment (including Pontypridd), to inform our long-term flood risk management plans. The intended outcome will be a comprehensive programme of proposed catchment scale interrelated projects to be delivered collectively by the Flood Risk Management Authorities. We have also worked with the local authority to roll out individual property protection to many hundreds of homes at higher risk of flooding in this area.
“Climate change is greatly increasing the flood risks we face. We will continue to work with RCTCBC, like we do in other communities across Wales, to plan for the future and to help mitigate and adapt to these risks.
“But we cannot stop all flooding. Adaptation to growing flood risk and learning to live better and recover more quickly from flooding will be absolutely key in the coming decades.”