Author Topic: The great flood  (Read 71496 times)

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Offline DaveR

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #90 on: June 10, 2014, 01:42:40 pm »
I noticed during yesterdays rain that many drain grids were full to the top with muck and some too far from the kerb to drain the water. If the council doesn't clean and maintain the drains, the 1993 floods will happen again.
I've noticed the Gully Cleaner around Llandudno a few times lately but, you're right, there are still many blocked road drains in the town. Part of the problem is that the lorry cannot get near to the drains because of cars parked over them.

Offline dwsi

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #91 on: June 10, 2014, 05:42:15 pm »
Good piece of rope attached to the lorry will soon move them  $hands$


Offline Bri Roberts

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #92 on: June 10, 2016, 08:00:20 am »
Today is the 23rd anniversary.

Offline Michael

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #93 on: June 10, 2016, 10:04:32 pm »
  Whilst blocked drains in the road gutters can cause flooding, it doesn't make any difference at all in a major flood like Towyn and Llandudno because the major outlet pipes are all unable to accept the volume of water. So nothing moves.

Offline Hugo

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #94 on: June 10, 2016, 10:28:42 pm »
Nothing could have prevented the Towyn flood Mike because the estate that we both lived in was flooded to a depth of about three feet of sea water.
 In Llandudno,  I believe that the Wales Water pumping station got flooded and the mechanism to release the water failed.   Apparently there was no over riding mechanism so consequently the town remained flooded for a number of days.     Whether that would have had any impact on that freak downpour of heavy rain I haven't a clue but nowadays there is a lot of sand in the drains that may have an adverse effect if the same thing happens in the future.

Offline Michael

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #95 on: June 11, 2016, 08:51:03 pm »
 Yes, Hugo. I agree. The same thing, only worse, happened in Towyn. Basically the sea wall went down, the sea water poured into the village, went around a quarter mile inland and met an obstacle.
   Around about 10 years before the water people were concerned about possible flooding in K bay and Towyn. But they were thinking about rain water falling around Llanfair Tel Herne etc which found its way to the sea via I think its called the
A




fon Gele. This peaceful stream winds its way from the middle of Abergele heads half mile inland to Towyn, then onto K Bay until eventually it reached the Clwyd river about a quarter of a lie inland from the Foryd bridge.
  So what did they do? They built I think its called a bund the whole way from the Clwyd all the way to Abergele. Its like a high pile of stones and soil piled up to an exact height above sea level. To get the soil they dragged it from the north side of this bund, thereby making a nice large area of low land in which the rain water could have waited, like a resoviour, until the tide went out. So millions of gallons of rain water were safely held for a few hours, the river went down, the sluice gates opened, the rain water went into the river and everybody was happy. Brilliant.
  But, but, but. No-one thought of the water coming from the other direction.
  So the seawater swept inland. After flooding Towyn it came to a very large surface ditch which stretches from the Abergele side of Towyn, again into the Foryd. Because its not far from the blue bridge it has a pumping station to assist the flow into the river. Powered by electric. The pumping station was soon flooded, all the fuses blew and pumping stopped. For about five days. This ditch, although its very long, deep and wide was no match. I myself saw this level rising as all the water surrounding the bungalows reached it. Took probably around half an hour and it was full, to the brim. So the sea water carried on charging inland and came up to the Afon Gele. But it couldn't get in because of the high, strong bund. So it just sat there, spread into Kinmel Bay, not far off a mile inland, and then over the next two days levelled itself out until it was just short of the A55 behind Pension.
  I will never forgive myself for not having a camera. It was comical looking along the top of this bund from Gors Road in Towyn. To the left there were hundreds, maybe thousands of houses, shops, caravans etc with four feet of water (Hugo it got deeper as you went inland. Gors road has a slight incline downward) And to the right, about 20 feet down was a little gentle stream meandering towards the sea. There had been no rain for the previous couple of weeks.

Offline Michael

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #96 on: June 11, 2016, 08:57:55 pm »
  Just read my post. Sorry, big error. I stated the soil for the bund came from the north i.e. the village. Wrong. It came from the South. I am bound to have confused any readers. So sorry, should have reread it before pressing the button

Offline SteveH

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #97 on: January 12, 2017, 09:59:07 am »
Rare footage of 1993 Great Orme floods shows streets turned into river rapids.

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/1993-great-orme-floods-video-12431592

Offline Hugo

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #98 on: January 12, 2017, 01:19:46 pm »
Thanks for posting that Steve as I've never seen that video before.   There is a house on the corner of Old Road and Ty Gwyn Road ( it was a shop at one time) and that must have taken a pounding in that deluge.
I don't know if the water actually got into the property but if it didn't then the occupier was very lucky indeed.

That same property was affected when the Great Orme had a snow fall and a car skidded by the traffic lights and hit the front door causing structure  damage and then the building to be evacuated.   I noticed recently that bollards had been placed in front of the building to prevent it happening again.  I believe that that was not the first time that the unlucky building had been hit by a car.

Offline Nemesis

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #99 on: January 12, 2017, 02:37:31 pm »
From what I understand, during the snowfall episode the tenant of the house had to be evacuated and it seemed to be ages before the property was back in use. I think the tenant moved elsewhere, as he had had enough of his home being hit by vehicles.!
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Hugo

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #100 on: January 12, 2017, 02:54:12 pm »
I remember going to have a look at the building after The Medz posted about it on here.    There was a massive crack by the door and it went all the way up the wall.   I bet the guy who lived there at the time had one heck of a shock and I don't blame him for moving out and not coming back.
Hopefully those bollards will stop it happening again

Offline Hugo

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #101 on: February 26, 2019, 10:31:57 pm »
North Wales basks in unusual February heat - but over 30 years ago it was a very different story.   I'm sure that Ormegolf will remember the Towyn floods as at one time we both  lived on the same estate.  There is a photo on here of Llys Charles where I once lived and also Gors Road.      Thank goodness I had moved from Towyn a few years earlier


 https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gallery/north-wales-basks-unusual-february-15891482?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

Offline Ian

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #102 on: February 27, 2019, 08:06:35 am »
I'm disappointed the DP didn't mention the cause - the unusually severe North-West wind combined with a high tide which pushed the water over the sea walls.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline SteveH

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Re: The great flood..........Towyn Floods
« Reply #103 on: February 26, 2022, 10:24:08 am »
North Wales basks in unusual February heat - but over 30 years ago it was a very different story.   I'm sure that Ormegolf will remember the Towyn floods as at one time we both  lived on the same estate.  There is a photo on here of Llys Charles where I once lived and also Gors Road.      Thank goodness I had moved from Towyn a few years earlier


 https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gallery/north-wales-basks-unusual-february-15891482?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

Towyn flood victim says recent extreme weather is 'wake up call' on anniversary of 1990 disaster
Thousands of people were evacuated and left homeless when floods hit the North Wales coast 32 years ago

Last week, North Wales escaped catastrophe amid warnings from experts about the impending threat of flooding across the region.

Coastal communities were spared from major disaster but for some, the extreme conditions of storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin served as a reminder of the devastating floods which hit the region 32 years ago.

On February 26, 1990, a severe weather system hit North Wales and a combination of gale force winds and high Spring tide caused severe flooding along the coast.

Without warning, the sea wall at Towyn buckled and waves ripped into thousands of homes, permanently changing the lives of all involved.

The major disaster saw 2,800 homes flooded and more than 5,000 people evacuated and remains a reminder of the power of Mother Nature.

On the anniversary of one of North Wales' worst natural disasters, we look back at the event which shaped the way we view flooding here in North Wales.

cont/ photo gallery  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/towyn-flood-victim-says-recent-23213063?IYA-mail=a05105fc-304d-4c50-9807-edab51f779a4


PS For information about how to register for flood alerts in the Towyn and Kinmel Bay area, click here.  https://your-biz.org/

Offline Hugo

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Re: The great flood
« Reply #104 on: February 26, 2022, 12:59:50 pm »
I lived in Towyn from 1970 to 1979 so I left before my bungalow was flooded.   Apparently the water was about 3 to  4 feet deep in the property
While I was living there the roads on the sea side of the main road were flooded a few times and I've seen people in Sandbank Road rescued by rowing boats.    Just by sheer luck the water was prevented from coming into our estate by the camber in the main coast road.
We were the lucky ones and I'm sorry for all those that were affected by the floods