1. Surviving the flood Talybont Community Flood Group ‘Talybont Floodees’ Chair person Mick Fothergill

2. 1.The Event - The Devastation 2.Forming the Group - Dealing with Insurance and builders 3.Developing a community flood Plan 4.Defining our problem - Responsibilities 5.The solution 6.Where we are now Surviving the flood

4. For 40 years we have lived in harmony with the river and enjoyed all its moods

5. Surviving the flood The river was part of our lives – an excitement and an inspiration

6. The Event

7. An intense low pressure system stalled over the catchment areas of the Rivers Leri and Ceulan. Over 190mm of rain fell in 36 hours on already saturated land. The resultant flooding was widespread and severe. 27 properties in Talybont were flooded and the A487 through the village was closed for a number of hours. Isohyet Diagram for 8th / 9th 2012 Flood Event

8. The Event

9. The River Gauge at Dolybont was overwhelmed

10. The Event

12. We were evacuated to the local pub – but that too was flooded Evacuated a second time to the Village Hall

13. The Devastation

22. The Clean up

25. The Group

26. Everyone was invited Centred around the pubs – Very Important Met every week (we still do) Provided support and advice – a real safety valve Helped reduce stress – The psychological impact was immense We helped each other Invited talks and lectures The Group now has a constitution and a formal committee

27. Make sure you are not under insured – DO IT NOW (Principal of Average) Keep contact information to hand Inform your Insurance company immediately – 24 Hour hot lines don’t work so have telephone numbers and email addresses Ask for advice but remember that insurance companies are not necessarily acting with your best interest at heart Get independent advice – The Scottish Flood Forum in the guise of Paul Hendy was of great help. They will appoint a loss adjuster. Loss adjusters are impartial but paid for by the insurance company. You do not have to accept this and you can insist on appointing one of your own. If a number of properties are affected its a good idea to join together with a single loss adjuster. Insurance

28. The Loss adjustor will appoint a surveyor who will produce a ‘Scope of Works’. This document should be a draft document and you should study this carefully before agreeing to the final version. This will then be issued as a Tender document and sent to a range of builders to tender for the contract. Once builders have been appointed make sure you open a dialogue with the company and be around as much as you can to keep an eye on the progress – make a nuisance of yourself IT WILL BE SLOW Insurance

29. It will take 5-6 months for your house to dry out – Insist on a drying certificate You can insist on using local businesses and products Local businesses and contractors don't like working for Insurance companies as they are very slow at paying Don’t ask your builder to undertake extra work without a written quote – They are likely to be very expensive At the completion of the restoration the builders should provide you with a pack of documents INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE HONOURABLE AND WILL PAY UP EVENTUALLY Insurance

30. 61%

31. Insurance 7%226%

32. Developing a Community Flood Plan We were unprepared Warning systems were generic for North Ceredigion and not specific to our catchment Developed a Community Flood Plan and organised a test day Ceredigion County Council Natural Resources Wales Dyfed Powys Police Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

33. Our Problem The Leri/Ceulan catchment is a relatively small steep sided, funnel shaped catchment which reacts very quickly to rainfall. It ranges from over 1300ft to sea level

34. Hydrographs for the rivers Leri, Ystwyth, Clarach and Rheidol. The Leri exhibits a highly peaked graph which provides little opportunity for an adequate warning period. Our Problem

36. Responsibilities Surface water – Dwr Cymru

37. Responsibilities

38. The Solution - Information Two river gauges Leri and Ceulan Talybont Two remote rain gauges at top of catchment Farson digital webcams Talybont

39. The Solution - Knowledge Primary defence – Flood arc system or Flood Gate

40. The Solution - Knowledge Secondary defence – Seal drains

41. The Solution - Knowledge

42. Expression of interest to the ‘Nature Fund’ Developing and testing a catchment-based approach for flood alleviation in upland Wales using ecosystem services Aberystwyth University keen to use our catchment as a study area Cobweb will play a central role in allowing us to collect information within the catchment and bring issues to the notice of the authorities

43. Allow the community to participate in and be pro-active in its own monitoring of the catchment We will ‘own’ the information that will allow us to fight the flood risk. The Solution - Knowledge

44. Better specific warning systems Community and personal flood plans Better defences More autonomous (Lottery funding for Sand Bags) Better communication within the village Defibrillators sited in the village In discussion about the future of the bridge Started a discussion with local farmers about a replanting scheme The council has carried out a feasibility study for a Talybont flood scheme to be presented to us on the 3 rd Dec in the pub Where we are now

49. Ceredigion Council Natural Resources Wales Aberystwyth University The Scottish Flood Forum specifically Paul Hendy Local Councillor, Leader of the Council, Regional AM Emergency Services All of Talybont But most of all Thank You

50. The Talybont Flood Group