Derbyn diweddariadau ar lafar gan Wasanaethau’r Cyngor a phartneriaid allweddol.
Cofnodion:
The following updates were provided by Council Officers and Key Partners in respect of the major weather incident ‘Storm Dennis’.
Natural Resources Wales
· The Storm saw over a month’s worth of rainfall in just 48 hours, which was 80cm higher than the rainfall in the 1979 floods;
· There were 86 flood warnings, 2 of which were severe;
· Approximately 26,000 residents were reached via phone call/ text message/ email;
· There were approximately 10,000 hits per hour on the Natural Resources Wales website; and
· Assurance was given that there was ongoing work with the Met Office to monitor the predicted rainfall over the catchment for the coming week.
South Wales Police
· Storm Dennis saw a 40% increase in calls to 999 and a 20% increase in calls to 101 across the force, the vast majority of which were responded to;
· A Tactical Response Group was established in the early hours;
· Staff were quickly redeployed to support the incident;
· Shelters were set up for residents but were stood down as many chose to stay with families/other members of the community;
· Between 500-1000 homes were evacuated across the force; and
· Crucial areas of focus were the Sub Station and Prince Charles Hospital due to contamination issues.
Operational Highways
· Approximately 1600 calls were taken;
· Approximately 6,500 sandbags were distributed;
· Many of the major highways and side streets were closed but had since reopened;
· Dozens of vehicles had since been removed from side streets;
· Many of the community walking routes were closed;
· The clean-up process in Taff Street, Pontypridd was ongoing, along with a number of side streets located in Pentre;
· The Bus Service had resumed with no anticipated effects on home to school transport;
· Skip permits had been suspended for two weeks to support residents and businesses with the clean-up operation; and
· Normal business would resume with the main network due to be treated as a result of the incoming cold weather.
Infrastructure
· There had been significant damage to a number of culverts with severe pressure on hydraulic capacity, which was unable to deal with the water flow,
· 1 of the 4 culverts in Pentre remained substantially blocked with debris;
· The rivers were in the process of being inspected across the County Borough with more damage likely to be found;
· There had been 160 bridges identified for inspection;
· Ynysangharad War Memorial Park would remain closed to the public for the foreseeable future;
· Ynysangharad Footbridge in Pontypridd and Castle Inn Footbridge in Treforest remained closed due to the substantial damage from a shipping container, with further inspections due to take place;
· Blaenllechau Tip slip is a category D high risk tip and would need continuous monitoring by special consultants; and
· It was felt that a new approach needed to deal with surface water.
Housing
· 100’s of residential properties flooded;
· Staff had been redeployed to support the community and identify their specific needs;
· There were 21 households in temporary accommodation, with the number likely to increase;
· The pressure to attain accommodation was increasing (the majority had been used and many can’t stay past the weekend due to bookings) and therefore, there was a need for a more sustainable solution;
· Lewis Street in Pentre was identified as a hugely impacted residential area, with the majority of houses deemed unsafe to live in;
· Many of the residents did not have contents insurance or insurance which covers floods;
· In respect of the Lido/Ynysangharad Park, the Director was unable to estimate how long it would take to repair the flood damage;
· There had been significant damage to the 3G Pitch in Aberdare;
· Praise was given to the community for their support to one another; and
· RCT were working in partnership with Interlink and community groups to coordinate a community response and ensure the correct support is provided in each of the locations.
Corporate Estates
· There had been a power cut at the RCTCBC data centre in Tylorstown;
· Due to flood damage, the Taff Vale development and footbridge completion date would be delayed; and
· There was still significant debris to the south of the Blaenllechau slip and the water main.
Businesses and Town Centres
· Treforest and Pontypridd were the largest hit in terms of businesses;
· Approximately 75% of the business units in Treforest Industrial Estate had been affected;
· Many of the businesses have a mixture of owners and tenants and therefore, many tenants have full responsibility for repairs;
· Many of the businesses have contents cover but don’t have loss of trade cover, which is a huge issue;
· There was a loss of Millions of pounds worth of loss in stock, WiFi, ICT equipment and furniture throughout the area;
· Over 50 stores in Pontypridd town centre affected;
· As a result of the flooding, many employees had been dismissed;
· There was a rolling supply of tips in Pontypridd town centre funded by the Council;
· A contractor had been funded by the Council to help businesses with electricity issues;
· Temporary traffic Measures had been put in place in Taff Street to facilitate the clean-up operation;
· Detailed advice been circulated to food businesses in respect of environmental health issues; and
· An RCT trailer had been place in Pontypridd town centre to provide further assistance to the businesses.
Pontypridd BID, Pontypridd Town Council and Treforest Business Representative
· Praise was given to the Council for the continuous support to businesses following the storm;
· Many of the independent stores were not insured which was of great concern;
· All BID projects had been put on hold, in order to fund and support the businesses;
· The growth of the town centre was a huge help to local businesses but the flood has destroyed the;
· The representative echoed the earlier statement that many residents had not left their homes but would soon need temporary accommodation; and
· Many business tenants do not have flood cover and therefore, cannot continue trading to mitigate costs.