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Response by the Cabinet Member: May I thank you for your kind words in respect of all those who responded during the recent storms. I will ensure those comments are passed on accordingly. In the wake of the recent storms, Storm Bert and Storm Darragh, the Authority has already held an internal debrief chaired by the Head of Highways and attended by Cabinet members and officers from Civil Contingencies, Highways, Corporate Communications and Land Drainage. Further to that debrief, officers have also met with representatives of communities that have seen regular flooding to listen to their experiences, that having been chaired by the Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys . The issues identified in those meetings will form part of the Authority’s submission to a wider Local Resilience Forum debrief scheduled for early in the New Year, and an all Wales debrief scheduled for late January. To that end, it would be inappropriate at this stage to draw any detailed conclusions but I can assure you that work has already commenced. The Authority is determined to learn from previous events and improve its response to emergencies. The experiences of previous storms, such as Storm Dennis and Storm Frank have led to new schemes aimed at keeping residents and their properties safe from flooding. Prime examples are the schemes for Knighton and Crickhowell, the latter having successfully prevented significant flooding in the town every winter since 2020. Officers are already actively engaged with communities that were affected or threatened by flooding during the recent storms, and a number of schemes have been submitted to Welsh Government to apply for the requisite funding. Whilst the main impact of Storm Bert in Powys was primarily flooding, Storm Darragh combined the threat of further flooding with the issues of wind damage and loss of trees. In turn that led swiftly to road closures, damage to infrastructure, multiple localised power failures, disruptions to mains water supply and loss of communication systems. The immediate priority of those who responded to these challenges was the preservation of life and the protection of property, with a clear focus on providing support to those in our communities who most needed it. The most visible element of the Authority’s response were the Highways teams who worked tirelessly to clear roads and make infrastructure safe. In the days following Storm Darragh, the Authority opened its doors across the County to assist those who were without power and water. Our Social Care teams focussed their efforts on checking that customers were safe and that any welfare needs were addressed. The power companies also hold lists of priority customers. Whilst those companies devoted teams to contacting those customers by phone or e-mail, GDPR compliant details were also shared with partners in order that physical checks could be made where attempts to contact vulnerable customers by phone had failed. Powys Teaching Health Board colleagues offered their District Nurse teams to support that action. Such multi-agency activity was coordinated via the command and control structures implemented by the Local Resilience Forum. In March 2023, a major national exercise in relation to power outages, Exercise Mighty Oak, was carried out by all major public service providers including councils and NHS trusts. The purpose of that exercise was to determine the UK's preparedness in the event of a major power outage. The lessons identified during that exercise, and weather events such as Storm Arwen and now Storm Darragh, are being addressed by a working group within the Local Resilience Forum to produce a regional plan for power failures. Given that secure power supplies are intrinsic to every aspect of modern life, this is a major undertaking. Decarbonisation and digitalisation will present their own challenges in the development of such plans, as you rightly identify in relation to the provision of back-up power supplies and telephony. The Authority will consider recommendations to extend the provision of back-up power supplies to its core sites in the New Year. It is also working with its partners at Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations to build on the localised approach of the Community Connectors model to deliver critical services during a Major Incident such as a national power outage, just as it did during the pandemic. The Authority has previously approached town and community councils to help build local resilience and is working with all those who have since responded. Our Civil Contingencies lead has previously presented to councillors on their roles during emergencies and there is relevant guidance available through the Welsh Local Government Association. We would welcome any engagement with local communities in the future as we strive to prevent emergencies from happening and lessen their impact when they do.
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