Machynlleth Town Council is to investigate plans for ‘periods of extreme weather’ following November's flooding.

The sudden flooding caused by storm Bert in late November killed several and caused damage to hundreds of homes and properties.

At November's full council meeting, councillors stated they ‘would not know where to start’ if the floods had come to Machynlleth.

Pointing out the risks to some areas of town surrounded by flood plains, Cllr Ann MacGarry, part of the council’s Climate Action Panel, said: “As part of our responsibility to consider the well-being of people in the town we want to understand what risks people in Machynlleth may face in extreme weather.

“Possible threats would be storm damage, heat stress and flooding.

“In the past, there has been very occasional flooding of the lower-lying parts of the town.

“Given the greatly increased risk caused by climate change we would like to make sure that everything that can be done is being done to reduce risk to dwellings.

“As a start, we decided to write to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to ask for a report on the state of the storm drains.

“A resident gave me a vivid description of manholes on the drains being blown right off by the force of water in the past.”

NRW responded stating they are a ‘Category One Responder’, engaging flood defences and warning the public and that contingency plans were local authority remit.

David Letellier, Head of NRW South Wales Central Operations, said: “The flooding caused by Storm Bert has had a huge impact on many communities across Wales and our thoughts are with everyone affected.

“In the lead-up to any significant rainfall event, we work with the Met Office and the Flood Forecasting Centre, using modelling and forecasts to ensure our teams are prepared. 

“Our rainfall and river gauge network are also constantly in operation.

“Given the uncertainty around the potential impacts of this event, we took steps from [20 November] to ensure our response team rotas were well staffed and prepared to tackle whatever the storm would bring...

“Since the February 2020 storms we have introduced new systems to improve the speed of warnings, the clarity of the messages and the levels at which we issue them - these stood up to the test of Storm Bert, but we cannot change the rate at which some of our rivers will rise when there is locally intense and torrential rainfall.

“As we do after every serious flood incident, we are carrying out our own proactive recovery and review work to ensure that we can learn any lessons from the experience.

“In Wales, one in seven properties is at risk of flooding and climate change is exacerbating that risk.

“The defences we have invested in, coupled with other critical services we provide can make a life-or-death difference when the rain starts to fall.

“Successfully managing this risk must be delivered as a common endeavour, bringing everyone from government and communities together to tackle one of the biggest challenges of our lifetimes.”