Dyfed-Powys Police have made the extremely rare decision to declare a “major incident” for Powys as Storm Darragh smashed into the area.
Roads have closed and many are becoming unpassable as trees fall and flying debris wreaks havoc across the area, with floods from the heavy rainfall making things worse.
Emergency services and partner agencies in the region are repeating their request to only travel if absolutely necessary today.
Superintendent Chris Neve said: “I have declared a major incident for the counties of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys, which means that together with our partners, we can call on the resources we need to respond to the challenges brought by Storm Darragh.
“I’d like to reassure the public that at this time, Dyfed-Powys Police is still able to respond to priority calls for service. We have robust plans in place to respond to Storm Darragh, and we continue to work extremely closely with partner agencies to do so through local resilience arrangements and close working on the ground.
“The safety of the public remains our top priority and I am urging everyone to take the warnings that have been issued seriously.
“I’d like to thank our communities for their support at this time, and once again ask that you avoid unnecessary travel and follow all official advice to stay safe.”
The red weather warning for west Powys has now lapsed, but Dyfed-Powys Police continue to experience high volumes of calls concerning road obstructions such as fallen trees, and poor driving conditions.
Some key contact details:
Travel - @TrafficWalesN or @TrafficWalesS
Weather - @metoffice
Flood alerts - @NatResWales / visit: https://flood-warning.naturalresources.wales/?culture=en-GB&extent=155781.50385722102+179257.90126068267+376557.1211438569+295491.2653885662+27700 /
Call Floodline: 0345 988 1188
Power cuts or damaged lines - Call 105
You can report fallen trees to https://en.powys.gov.uk/article/816/Report?ccp=true#cookie-consent-prompt