Before the storm arrived, Council officers prepared by deploying additional resources to clear drains and gullies in flood-riskareas of Cardiff. There are more than 80,000 drains and gullies in Cardiff so efforts were focussed on areas more at risk of flooding.
Several community groups also joined in to help clear drains of leaves in their areas, which helped reduce opportunities for flash flooding which occurs when the level of rainfall is so high that storm drains cannot cope with the volume of the rainwater, causing ponding on the street.
As part of emergency work across the weekend council officers worked closely with Natural Resources Wales to monitor river levels of the Ely, Taff, and Rhymney which flow into Cardiff. Contingency plans were put in place ready to be implemented if necessary.
Cardiff has a variety of flood prevention measures that are activated when high rainfall is expected. These include manmade structures like the Cardiff Bay Barrage, which controls water levels in the bay, and floodplains on green open spaces designed to flood when river levels rise very high.
As widely reported, the River Taff caused significant issues in Rhondda Cynon Taff, but further downstream, the floodplain in Pontcanna Fields functioned as intended and flooded. The River Rhymney’s levels were also very high and breached but the floodplain on the playing fields at the bottom of Llanrumney Hill functioned correctly, and the River Ely’s levels did not exceed any danger threshold.
The Council has a limited supply of sandbags which, if demand on resources and conditions allow, it can use if a property is in danger of flooding, but we advise anyone who thinks their property might be liable to flood to prepare in advance and purchase sandbags to protect their property.
Overnight, Council officers attended Church Road in Pentyrch, following reports of fallen trees blocking the road. The road was closed temporarily while six trees were cleared.
The Council has not received any reports of property flooding in Cardiff.
If you are concerned about flooding in your area, here’s who to call:
Following Storm Bert, other than the clean-up required alongside the River Taff and in Bute Park, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Bay all council services are running as usual. Bute Park has re-opened to the public today however the area containing the ‘Christmas at Bute Park’ light trail will remain closed while damage is assessed. Event organisers will be in contact with any affected ticket holders directly.
For more information on flooding in Cardiff, please visit Be Prepared – EVAC Cardiff
