Emergency plans for flooding
What to do before, during and after a flood…
The Council’s Out of Hours and Emergency telephone number is 01685 385231
Be prepared
In a flood you may find you’re without lighting, heating or a telephone line. The following simple actions will help you to be prepared. The time to think about it is now – don’t wait until it happens. The better prepared you are, the better you’ll cope if it happens to you or your family.
To find out if you live in a flood risk area please visit The Environment Agency website.
Make sure you have adequate insurance. Flood damage is included in most building insurance policies, but do check your home and contents insurance.
Keep details of insurance policies and their emergency contact number somewhere safe – preferably as part of your Home Emergency Kit.
In addition to your Home Emergency Kit, include rubber gloves, wellingtons, waterproof clothing.
Get into the habit of storing valuable or sentimental items upstairs or in a high place.
Make sure you know where to turn off your gas and electricity.
If you live in a flood risk area, consider buying some sandbags or flood boards to block doorways and airbricks. Tips on how to lay sandbags effectively are included in the Environment Agency’s new flood proofing guide available at Environment Agency – Floods or from Floodline 0845 988 1188.
What to do when you hear a warning
Listen out for warnings on radio and TV, and phone Floodline 0845 988 1188 or visit Environment Agency – Floods for more information.
Move pets, vehicles, valuables and other items to safety.
Alert your neighbours, especially the elderly.
Put sandbags or flood boards in place – but make sure your property is ventilated.
Be ready to turn off gas and electricity (get help if needed).
Do as much as you can in daylight. Doing anything in the dark will be more difficult especially if the electricity fails.
Be safe in a flood - Beware of flood hazards!
Floods can kill. Don’t try to walk or drive through floodwater – six inches of fast flowing water can knock you over and two feet of water will float your car.
Manhole covers may come off and there may be other hazards you can’t see.
Never try to swim through fast flowing water – you may get swept away or be struck by a floating object in the water.
Avoid contact with floodwater – it may be contaminated with sewage.
Cleaning up
If you’ve been flooded:
Call your insurance company’s (24 hour) Emergency Helpline as soon as possible. They will be able to provide information on dealing with your claim, and assistance in getting things back to normal.
Open doors and windows to ventilate your house but take care to ensure your house and valuables are secure. It takes a house brick about an inch a month to dry out.
Contact your Gas, Electricity and Water Companies. Have your power supplies checked before you turn them back on. Wash taps and run them for a few minutes before use.
Throw away any food, which may have been in contact with flood water – it could be contaminated.
Beware of bogus traders who may arrive at your property offering cleanup or other related services. Always check references and if possible get recommendations.
The Environment Agency has produced three flood guides for the general public. The guides give practical advice on preparing for a flood and what to do during and after a flood. The guides can be obtained by telephone order to Floodline 0800 9881188 or at the Environment Agency’s website.
Contact us
If you require further information or wish to contact the Emergency Planning team please use the details below:
The Council’s Out of Hours and Emergency telephone number is 01685 385231
Roads – Flooding – Clearing drains and gullies
A very important feature of road construction is drainage. New roads include designed drainage systems intended to remove water efficiently from the surface of the highway to provide a safe passage for all vehicles and pedestrians.
Older roads may have less sophisticated drainage, but all have features designed to take the water away from the road surface. It is necessary to clean and maintain these drainage provisions so that they can work properly.
Problems can occur even when drainage provisions are clean and well maintained. Flooded and waterlogged roads result when the amount of water arriving on the road is greater than the capacity of the drainage facilities that take it away. Exceptional rainfall, a road being in a low lying area, changes in ‘run off’ from adjacent fields and rivers overflowing are some situations that can lead to the road flooding or being waterlogged even when drains are in good working order. Material carried into the drains by floods can also lead to them becoming blocked. Drainage grills and gratings (e.g.. on gullies) can become blocked very quickly when materials like mud are deposited on the road or when there is a heavy fall of leaves. If a flooded road is caused by a ruptured water main the water company will be responsible for repairing the damage.
Water is directed to drains by the road profile. Puddles (ponding) tend to occur if there is a depression in the road. This can be rectified where necessary by local patching of the road surface.
The following notes give guidance on who you should contact for various types of flooding.
During office hours the telephone number is 01685 726227 / 724939. The Council’s Out of Hours and Emergency telephone number is 01685 385231.
Flooding from public sewers
The water company own and manage the network of public foul and surface water sewers. The majority of public sewers are located in highways and the Council has a copy of the sewer maps, which can be viewed at the Council offices. To report an overflowing public sewer, you should call Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Customer Services on 0800 085 3968.
Flooding from private sewers and drains
If your private drains or sewers are overflowing, you will need a drainage contractor to deal with any blockage. See “Yellow Pages” under “Drain and Pipe Cleaning”. If you are uncertain if any blockage is in the public or private sewers, the water company should be able to determine this, once on site, then recharge you the cost of any work on the private sewers.
Flooding from the public highway
For flooding from the public highway or reporting blocked gullies or gratings, contact us on the details below.
Flooding from a burst water main
The local water supply company are Dwr Cymru Welsh Water.
Tel: 0800 281432. The water company are responsible for their supply up to and including the water stopcock.
Flooding from a main river
The main rivers (The Taff, Taff Fechan, Bargoed Taf and Nant Morlais) are the responsibility of the Environment Agency on 0845 933 3111. In addition, the Agency provide a ‘Floodline’, which is a 24 hour advice and information service for floods and flood warning on 0845 988 1188.
Flooding from watercourses, other than main rivers
Watercourses, other than main rivers, are the responsibility of riparian owners. You are a riparian owner if your property or land is on, over very near, a watercourse. Riparian owners have a duty to keep the watercourse clear of any obstruction to flow and the Council can serve legal notices on riparian owners to deal with obstructions. Certain “strategic” watercourses, that are known to pose a high risk of property flooding if they become blocked, are checked and maintained by the Council’s contractors on a regular basis.
Provision of sandbags to protect against flooding
The Council makes sandbags available to residents of the district during emergency situations, to enable them to protect their homes from flooding. However, residents who are aware that their homes are at a high risk of flooding, e.g. as a result of the close proximity of a watercourse, are recommended to obtain sandbags from a builders’ merchant to enable early preparation, as at times of flooding the Council’s workforce may not be able to reach all properties before flooding occurs.
Further information
Telephone: 01685 726227
E-mail: kevin.davies@merthyr.gov.uk
The Council’s Out of Hours and Emergency telephone number is 01685 385231.
