Sunday 14 October 2018

Flooding in Carmarthenshire


If you live in the UK (and especially in Wales) then you will have seen television footage of the dreadful flooding in Wales.  Of course, we were not immune in our community.  This is the bridge a the bottom of our hill.  Photo taken this morning, by which time the river had dropped TEN FEET overnight.  Our neighbour down here had flooding in his cottage and nearly in his bungalow too.  I bet he didn't get much sleep last night.  

Storm Callum - this link will show you a report on the flooding further downstream and Storm Callum II at Carmarthen. Hopefully they are differeing reports!  

As you can see, there was a log jam of trees against the bridge and it is no longer usable.  We will have to wait weeks for the Council to come and clear this, and check that the bridge is OK as someone was saying it was moving yesterday, with the weight of water against it, through it, over it . . .




Unfortunately we chose to go out yesterday morning and got caught up in all this when we came to try and get home, and every road to cross the river was blocked.  We tried to get home on the back road to Carmarthen after finding our usual route along Station Road under water . . .  Carmarthen road also under water.  Turning around and driving in the opposite direction, all crossings over the Towy under water and then the Llandeilo road ditto.  We had to drive up to Carmel and to Llandeilo that way, managing to cross on the Ffairfach bridge, but on the A40 home, a council vehicle blocked the road and we were told the A40 was blocked at our nearest village to home - bridge crosses the Cothi . . .

We tried every which way, finding the lanes with standing water nearly a foot deep in places (no good when your exhaust stands at 9"!) and eventually every route home was blocked.  We ended up the other side of our bridge (having had to turn around on the lane to Brechfa) with neighbours, surveying the flood water hurtling through and over the bridge, with a worried neighbour the other side who already had one property flooded and was stacking up furniture in his bungalow . . .

We had offers of a bed overnight, but as I had left my asthma inhalers at home, we HAD to get back.  Fortunately one neighbour was able to tell us that the A40 was actually still passable at Pontargothi and so we were able to get home along there and then "over the top."  Believe me I have NEVER been so glad to get home in all my life. . . 


This stretch of the lane is often welly-deep in standing water, and my dear husband suggested he could wade through to go and get my inhalers, in case we really couldn't get back.  However, yesterday it was a whole different ball game and the river had breached it here and it was 5 feet deep (as you can see from the debris caught in the hedge).


More debris caught up in the fencing.


The river this morning - remember - levels have dropped 10 feet overnight.   I wish I'd had the camera with me yesterday but that said, I just wanted us  to get home safely - rather than take photos of our predicament!  I feel so sorry for the people who have lost vehicles and had homes flooded from this storm.



20 comments:

  1. Saw the flooding in Carmarthen on TV news and thought of you being quite near - but you were nearer than I thought! I'm glad you got home OK in the end, it's amazing how quickly the water level drops
    As usual hardly any rain over this way, just a bit windy

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    1. We would never live right on a river for this reason, but flooding affects you when - like us - you are just trying to get home. So many people affected and one young man killed by a landslide.

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  2. Thoughts are with you and your neighbours. May the bridge be fixed soon for you x

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    1. Hi Jeannie - thanks for your kind thoughts. We went out this morning to see if we could help at all, but the flooded neighbour said he could cope. I shall probably bake him a cake to keep his strength up!

      We're not holding our breath about the bridge being open any time soon!

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  3. Glad you got home safe and hopefully the bridges will soon be safe to pass. Thoughts are with your neighbor.
    KJ

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    1. Thankyou KJ. I have to say, the community spirit was so strong yesterday, and everyone rallies round when something like this happens.

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  4. Yes there was quite a bit of news of your area on Breakfast TV this morning. Around here in Wensleydale we often flood as the Ure can rise twenty feet in an hour if it is raining on the tops. Water like this is very scary isn't it? Glad you got home.

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    1. It certainly is scary. I was driving and feeling Very Responsible for getting us home safely and got in a bit of a state when every road was turning out blocked. I bet you're used to these swiftly-rising floods where you are - even we can't manage 20 feet in an hour - but this one came on so suddenly and I think surprised a few of us.

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  5. That must have been so scary. Have your asthma meds with you all the time. I heard of a farmer in Wales who had masses of sheep swept away. Stay safe.x

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    1. Jill - I promise I will have ALL my asthma meds with me at all times. As I take the inhalers morning and night, I have gotten into the habit of leaving them at home recently if I just go out with my bum-bag, but I shan't do that ever again. I've learned my lesson. My chest was getting tighter and tighter from stress - not nice.

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  6. So glad that you made it home! My thoughts and prayers are with you and all the others suffering through this flood.

    God bless.

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    1. You and me both Jackie! At one point it did look like we weren't going to. Now it's the clean-up operation for those homes and businesses that suffered from the flood water.

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  7. I am so glad to read that you are home and safe. Sorry to hear about the flooding.
    Be Safe.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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    1. Thanks parsnip. We wouldn't have gone out if we'd known how quickly the rivers would rise AGAIN. They were already high when we went out and we thought they were at their height . . .

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  8. Glad you have made that promise to keep your asthma stuff with you at all times. It must have been very scary with all those roads flooded.

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    1. I was getting in a bit of a state Thelma, I have to say, when EVERY route home was blocked. (Bar one, thank heavens).

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  9. What a horrendous experience - my thoughts are with you and your neighbours and all those affected by the flooding. So relieved you finally made it home. Hope you are feeling a bit calmer now.

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    1. Yup, calmed down now and didn't resort to alcohol, though there is a bottle of wine without sulphites in the fridge. I am Being Good! We went out today and you can see how bad it was in the Towy Valley and Carmarthen.

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  10. Oh my word, I'm so glad that you managed to get home and take your inhalers. I knew it was bad down your way, but this really brings it home. We often get cut off at either end of our village, but it is a mere nothing compared to the power of the water that rushes along your rivers (and roads). Stay safe and keep those meds close.x

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    1. I learned my lesson with the inhalers. Normally I have my handbag with me always (and Idon't venture out without my Ventolin inhaler). I shall put my Fostair inhalers in whatever bag I take with me now. The power of this flood was terrifying - I just wish I'd had my camera with me. You could feel the bridge shaking when you were on the lane the far side!

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