Officers worked around the clock following disruption during the heavy rainfall of Sunday, 21 January 2018. Three roads were closed and a number of others only passable with great care.
Rhodri Llwyd, Highways Services Group Manager, said “Sunday was a very busy day for us dealing with all the requests, especially between 3pm and 6pm. Five crews were out in the north of the county and three in the south where they were out clearing roads, ensuring safety to those travelling, as well as voluntary distributing sand bags, as well as extra staff called in to aid with the significant number of calls that were received within a few hours.”
The supply of sandbags is a voluntary service and the Council cannot guarantee to deliver sandbags at all sites that might need them. At times of high flood risk, the Council endeavours to deliver sandbags to occupied properties at imminent risk when requested.
Rhodri Llwyd continued, “It’s a hard task to work in such conditions. One of the most important issues for us was to ensure the safety of those travelling on Ceredigion roads, as well as the staff working to ease issues. That meant closing the A4159 between Lovesgrove and Bow Street for a time, the B4337 at Talsarn and later the A44 between Lovesgrove and Aberystwyth.”
Council staff reacted promptly after an initial weather warning that was received at 11am, and responded to calls from the residents throughout the afternoon which peaked at 2pm. The Council have county and regional plans in place that are implemented, by working with partner organisations, when an incident occurs. An Incident Response Arrangement was already established when the first flood warning was received from Natural Resources Wales.
Deputy Leader of Ceredigion County Council and Cabinet member responsible for Technical Services said, Councillor Ray Quant MBE said, “It’s a difficult time for everyone when rainfall is as heavy as it was on Sunday and it was a hard task for the infrastructure to cope. Sunday’s weather has tested the resources within the Council, but we thank the staff for working tirelessly to ensure Ceredigion residents were safe.”
Residents and businesses who know that they are located in flood risk areas are encouraged to take measures to protect their properties in readiness for the event of floods. Resources can then be directed towards the protection vulnerable people during severe flood risk events, as Councillor Quant explains, “During this incident, we saw many people prepared for flooding, especially those who live in low lying areas that are at risk of flooding. It is recommended that those who were not prepared this time, and who think they may be affected in future, to act now, in readiness for any such weather in the future. Floodgates and sandbags can be prepared before-hand and used promptly if the risk of flood arises.”
The majority of requests for assistance were dealt with yesterday, but the Council are checking a few locations today, 22 January, regarding highway support being eroded and debris on the road.
22/01/2018