Leader's Statement on Storm Bert

Over the weekend in Merthyr Tydfil, we felt the full force of Storm Bert. 

Many of us escaped the storm without too much of an impact, however some people within our community have been hugely affected, with, to-date, an estimated 70 properties flooded. Others have been left with a limited water supply, while roads have had to be close, and even small landslips have happened in some areas. 

Our highways and engineering teams were out in force in response to the weather warning, with road sweepers out all the previous day clearing leaves off gullies on all main routes, staff clearing trash screens on our culverts, the gully sucker clearing the gullies in areas we know have had issues in past years, and our staff loading up our standby vehicles with sandbags and flood warning signs. I’d like to thank all those teams for their hard work.

However, whilst we did all the preparation we could, high winds overnight meant that more leaves dropped before they could be cleared, and the sheer volume of persistent rain meant that our rivers and culverts couldn’t cope. 

As usual, the community spirit shone through during time of hardship, and people have come together to help and support each other. 

Council staff, local councillors from all parties, and volunteers have provided essential support, and I’d sincerely like to thank each and every one of them. 

If you, or someone you know has been affected, we have some useful information on our website and social media pages. Please visit these for a full update, however just to touch on some of the support available: 

• We have set up a support Hub at Aberfan & Merthyr Vale Community Centre café for people to access information and advice during this recovery period
• We are offering free bulky item collections for anyone affected by the flooding
• We’ve got teams out offering support, with people knocking doors in the areas worst affected.  
• We have dedicated web pages where you can find information on the Welsh Government Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF), how to recover after a flood, and useful phone number. 

In addition to the above, the Council is offering financial support to those affected by the flooding. The Local Authority Hardship Scheme means that each affected household and business will receive £1,000.

If you haven’t already been in contact with us about water damage to your home or businesses please notify us immediately via the following link: merthyr.gov.uk/do-it-online/request-or-apply/storm/ or call us on 01685 725000 

Please reach out if you, or someone you know, needs our help. Particularly, if you know someone who is vulnerable, then please call us on 01685 725000 and we will do all that we can to support those individuals. 

A sincere thank you, once again, to our staff and our local communities for coming together during this time.