As we move into Autumn and the return of wetter weather, we would like to share some general information and advice about flooding.  The detail below is intended to raise awareness and be a useful quick reference guide, with links to further information if required, that can be used by yourselves.  The information is broken down into the following five short sections:

• Roles and Responsibilities: those responsible for managing different sources of flood risk.
• Before a Flood Event - Be Prepared: awareness of flooding and preparedness.
• Property Flood Resilience: information on making properties more resilient to flooding.
• During a Flood Event - Emergency Response Arrangements: how the Council responds to flood events, working with partner organisations and sharing of information.
• Other Useful Sources of Information:  links to additional sources of information.

In addition, the following documents are attached which provide further sources of information:

Does your home get flooded’ leaflet? (Monmouthshire County Council)
What to do if your home gets flooded’ leaflet? (Monmouthshire County Council)
Riverside ownership in Wales (Natural Resources Wales)
 

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibility for protecting homes from flooding ultimately rests with the owner of the property.
Different authorities and organisations, known as Risk Management Authorities, have statutory duties for managing different sources of flood risk, as well as their own assets.  They also have permissible powers to undertake certain maintenance work and/or improvement works, such as delivering flood alleviation schemes.
Risk Management Authorities with roles for managing different sources of flood risk in Monmouthshire are shown below:
 

Key contacts ​in the event of flood:

Emergency Services: 999​
Natural Resources Wales: 0300 065 3000​
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water: 0800 085 3968
Monmouthshire County Council: Office Hours - 01633 644644, Out of Hours - 0300 123 1055 .  
Please Note: requests for services out of hours should be made using the telephone number above, emails/Teams/social media etc. are not routinely monitored during these times. 

If requests are made during working hours please go through the generic departmental email addresses rather than individual officers as they may be on site or in emergency meetings. 

Departmental email addresses: 

infrastructure@monmouthshire.gov.uk – main departmental email address.
flooding@monmouthshire.gov.uk – for general flooding enquiries or concerns.
highways@monmouthshire.gov.uk – for highway related enquiries or concerns.
Non urgent local flooding issues can also be reported via My Monmouthshire

Before a Flood Event - BE PREPARED

Check latest weather forecasts: Weather and climate change - Met Office
Check you flood risk here: Natural Resources Wales / Check your flood risk by postcode
Check latest flood warnings: Flood warnings and alerts
Natural Resources Wales: Natural Resources Wales / Preparing for a flood
Sign up for Flood Warnings: Natural Resources Wales / Sign up to receive flood warnings
 

PROPERTY FLOOD RESILIENCE

Property Flood Resilience Guide: Property Flood Resilience | The Flood Hub
Directory of Flood Products to improve resilience to flooding:  Blue Pages – The UK's Leading Independent
Flood Directory
Sandbags:  Sandbags should be a last resort as they have very limited benefits in preventing flooding.  If residents & businesses consider sandbags to be of benefit, they should pre-purchase these from a local builder’s merchant and store them in a suitable place until such time they are required during a flood event.
In an EMERGENCY and if resources allow, the Council will endeavour to delivery sandbags to residential properties at imminent risk of flooding.  These can be requested by calling: Office Hours - 01633 644644, Out of Hours - 0300 123 1055
 

DURING A FLOOD EVENT - Emergency Response Arrangements

• During flood events operational staff will be deployed across the county to clear blockages to drains, culverts, fallen trees and to deliver sandbags etc. Larger events can sometimes last for days and recovery times can last weeks or even months where infrastructure damage has occurred.
• In more significant adverse weather events, this initial operational response may escalate to the establishment of an internal Emergency Response Team (ERT) to coordinate and have oversight of the operational responses and mitigate any wider impacts on the authority as a whole. The ERT will also continue to monitor the weather forecasts and river levels. This Team is made up of various departments across the Council and can include: Emergency Planning, Highways, Flood Management, Housing, Catering, Communications, Social Care - to name just a few.
• Further formal emergency response arrangements may also be established with wider partners and emergency service colleagues to ensure a coordinated and effective approach to incident management is implemented across different organisations depending on the scale and nature of the event.
• The MCC ERT, if established, will agree on key MCC communications and ensure consistent messaging.
• Communications will be shared via MCC’s official channels, including the website and social media platforms.
• Any formal recovery coordination will be led by the most appropriate recovery structures or from business as usual services - but ensuring alignment with any agreed priorities identified.
• Elected Members will receive regular updates from one of our Chief Officers as the situation develops.

 

OTHER USEFUL SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Home insurance for properties at flood risk: Flood Re - A flood re-insurance scheme
Monmouthshire County Council’s Flood Risk Management webpages: Flood Risk Management - Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire County Council’s Emergency Planning webpages: Planning For Emergencies - Monmouthshire
Natural Resources Wales webpages: Natural Resources Wales / Flooding
Dwr Cymru Welsh Water: Sewer blockages and flooding | Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
National Flood Forum:  National Flood Forum – A charity to help, support and represent people at risk of flooding.
Public Health Wales – Flooding and Mental Health: Flooding - Public Health Wales
Welsh Government: National Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in Wales | GOV.WALES