We residents of Llanelli know the town can be a very wet place, Historically the “Great Storm” of 1896 caused a great deal of damage to buildings and deaths of livestock but luckily no human lives were lost.
However, that was a different era. Most of Llanelli’s homes were terraced houses, many people kept small boats, and many were rescued from their bedroom windows and roofs, the demographic was a much younger, fitter population, there are tales of young men standing up to their waists in cold water in their homes for hours holding their young children in their arms waiting for rescue. Miraculously no-one died. It could be very different if a similar disaster happened today.
Llanelli remains at high risk of coastal and tidal flooding and many low lying areas are still designated Zone C2, “Without significant flood defence infrastructure.”
Much housing development in Llanelli is within Technical Advice Note (TAN 15) Zone C2, which means it is without proper flood defences.
In 1896 the combination of a storm dumping a lot of rain on the town, local rivers and estuary, followed by the tail of an Atlantic hurricane blowing a massive wall of water into the town caused a huge flood. River banks over-topped and the town flooded. Luckily it was daylight. The water finally reached its high point at the steps of the Thomas Arms Hotel.
There have been other floods over the years in Llanelli but this is the worst one to date. Other areas, such as Iscoed, have flooded due to blockages of watercourses and culverts.
Very little seems to have been done to protect homes and roadways against floods since 1896, perhaps because of the very great volume of water involved. Also, there is little information on what to do if a flood is forecast.
For instance, in severe weather the flood risk maps show almost the whole of Sandy road may flood. A lot of people park their cars on this road as few houses have driveways. If a warning goes out, where should the residents temporarily move their cars to keep them safe? Surely a site on higher ground has been chosen already for this purpose?
With the threat of Global warming and rising sea levels the risk of floods is likely to increase. We may think that the County Council Planning Committee, Natural Resources Wales, Highways, Welsh Water and all the other bodies that our taxes pay to protect us from flooding, have the situation under control.
Perhaps they do, but with such a big problem, perhaps they don’t. Money is short these days but most of these bodies give free advice which is worth accessing, especially if you have been flooded or live close to areas which have been flooded in the past,
Overall, it’s a bit of a mystery why a comprehensive flood plan hasn’t been published for Llanelli and circulated to the public. The risk of a major flood is said to be a one in a hundred chance annually.
When I was on the County Council, a Labour councillor claimed that as over a 100 years had passed since 1896 we were now all in the clear as any one in a 100 yr risk of major floods had now passed!
I suspect probability was a complete mystery to him.
