Agenda item

To receive verbal updates from Council Services.

The following updates were provided by Council Officers and Key Partners in respect of the major weather incident ‘Storm Bert’:

 

The Chief Executive provided an overview of the incident and the impact on the County Borough:

·       Major incident with significant impact due to significant rainfall over short time period

·       Significant volume of contacts from customers

·       Impact on buildings across multiple locations across the County Borough

·       Preparatory work undertaken in advance of potential amber weather warning, although this amber warning never manifested.

·       First Class response provided during the Storm

·       Rapid level and volume of rainfall resulted in the Council declaring a major incident on the 24^th November

·       No demand for emergency or temporary accommodation

·       Water contamination issues in Rhondda with ‘Boiled Water’ precautions measures in place

·       Need to assess damage and collate detail of impact

·       Voluntary Sector providing further assistance and helping to co-ordinate

·       Business continuity is a priority

·       Acknowledges the distressing impact on those affected and those re-affected

 

Director Highways Streetcare and Transportation Services.

 

·       Officers out assessing damages across the County Borough

·       Environmental Health Officers also assisting with door knocking gathering information

·       159 investigations taking place – teamed up with EHO officers to reduce as much disruption to residence as possible

·       Information gathering  - 5 Teams split into different areas (preventing duplication of information gathering)

·       Developing centralised database which will need cleansing to ensure as accurate as possible

·       Will review information once gathered to establish extent of damage and recovery plans needed

·       Working with Housing Associations

·       Supporting residence with provision of skips

·       Production of s.19 reports when appropriate

·       Minor issue with Tylorstown Tip

·       Based on current information 125 properties have been affected (potential to increase to 150)

 

Director Corporate Estates

·       26 sites affected -  reported through to One Stop shops

 

Director of Social Services

·       Evacuated one children’s home which housed three young people

·       One elderly resident who received home care was transferred to care home

·       No issues reported with Care homes or Day centres

 

Director of Prosperity and Development

·       Mill Street Pontypridd main Town Centre location affected

·       6 businesses affected – looking at how can support

·       Treforest Estate and Nantgarw Industrial Estate also pockets of flooding, although better prepared following previous flooding incidents

·       Will continue to monitor other areas across the County Borough

 

Housing

·       Upper Rhondda Homes impacted

·       Rest Centres and Contact Centres created

·       Linked in with Housing Association partners

·       No temporary housing provision needed to be provided but will continue to review.

 

Education

·     One school affected – Practical Measures put in place to allow school to open today

·     Minor issues in other schools across the County Borough

·     Bottled water received to those schools affected with ‘boiled water’ notice

·     Community Meals – all delivered today.

 

NRW

·       Prepared for an amber warning with Roads double manned

·       Level of preparation was proportionate to the level of warning received

·       Benefit from working with partners – need to start earlier

·       River gauges all broke Storm Dennis records

·       Need to review our processes and modelling management arrangements – Need to establish whether issuing of flood warning was timely  -  did timings of alerts provided sufficient time for action

·       Need to review flood defences put in place in respect of zion Street

·       Several investigation ongoing across SW – data analysis and level of support sufficient

·       Review assets

·       Lots of data to analyse to assist us with our recovery plans

 

SWFR

·       Declared Operational Willow Back during Storm Bert - Reached out to other Fire and Rescue Authorities to assist during the event with calls

·       9:10am called major incident -  75% available assets deployed on the ground and hallmark of Storm Dennis

·       134 calls received in relation to Pontypridd

·       110 incidents attended

·       Co-ordinated assets across South Wales

·       Strong position following Storm Dennis lessons learned – PPE and training for Frontline crews

·       Partnerships worked well

·       No significant injuries reported during Storm Event.

 

 

DCWW

Waste Water

·       Worked slightly better than Storm Dennis – Lot resilience work  -  less pumping stations out of action.

·       Temporary Issue in Cynon but now restored

·       Number of Teams looking at Sewer Crossways, integrity and Sewerage Networks

Clean Water

·       Tynywaun water treatments  works – treated water tank suffered ingress from flooding

·       12 thousand properties on boil water notice until remedial work on tank is complete -  although samples showing no contamination – precautionary approach

·       Developing compensation scheme for domestic customers and businesses.

·       Temporary bottle water stations provided – looking for further suitable sites

·       Priority services bottle water delivered.

 

 

The Leader thanked all attendees for their updates and honest overview of the current position within Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Leader spoke of the importance of partnership working, the support needed from all partners when a major incident has been called and the continued assessment and reviews that needed to be undertaken to establish the damage and the recovery plans and processes needed to be put in place.

 

The Deputy Leader thanked all staff and partners who had worked tirelessly over the 48 hour period, helping to make communities safe. This thanks was echoed by the Leader.  The Deputy Leader referenced that although we can never eliminate flooding, we need to continue to ensure we minimise its affects.

 

Before concluding the meeting, the Leader confirmed that a further meeting of the board was scheduled for the 28^th November where further information could be gathered from all partners in relation to the extent of the damage / properties and infrastructure affected and the next steps to recovery.