{"id":10221,"date":"2021-09-16T23:58:50","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T22:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10221"},"modified":"2021-09-16T23:58:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T22:58:50","slug":"lessons-from-the-past-and-a-gathering-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10221","title":{"rendered":"Lessons From The Past And A Gathering Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

LESSONS FROM THE PAST AND A GATHERING STORM<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Extreme weather events seem to be on the increase as July brought us a mini heat wave followed by storms and heavy rain. On one recent occasion, 23 December 2020, the Vale experienced on average 33mm of rainfall over an 11 hour period and properties notably in Dinas Powys, Sully and Penarth were flooded. Of course flooding is nothing new. Well before global warming, the Bristol Channel floods of 30 January 1607 provided us with a perfect example of the impact of a severe flooding event. The coastline of South Wales and the West Country was devastated, with an estimated 2,000 people drowned and 200 square miles of farmland destroyed, along with livestock, houses and other buildings. In Wales, parishes wholly on the Gwent Levels fared the worst, and the 1607 flood is commemorated at several of their churches, although not all of the plaques are contemporary. Those at Redwick, Nash and St Brides can be seen from outside, and show the height of the floodwaters. At Goldcliff the plaque in the chancel reads: \u201c… heare was lost 5000 and od pownds besides 22 people was in this parrish drownd ..\u201d<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a35000 is equivalent to around \u00a3650,000 today.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cardiff was the most badly affected town and although small in those days, a huge area was affected. The flood waters came right up to the town centre and the foundations of St Mary’s Church (the corner of St Mary Street and Wood Street today) were destroyed. A farmer lost 400 sheep in Llandaff. Bodies were washed up and buried in a communal grave in Rumney Church. The Vale also suffered mercilessly. Coastal defences at Sully were easily breached as the narrowness of the Bristol Channel constricted and heightened the waves. Relatively new defences at Aberthaw were easily swept aside and a memorial garden at nearby Gileston commemorates the flooding and devastation which ensued.<\/p>\n

So what did cause 1607 and could it happen again? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Puritan pamphleteer William Jones, typical of writers at the time, explained such natural disasters as the result of God\u2019s wrath and the sins of the population. The author of \u2018Woeful news from Wales\u2019 was in no doubt that the sinfulness of man and his disobedience of God\u2019s law was to blame for the flood. Victims were \u2018lewd and profane wretches\u2019 who apparently deserved what they got. Some contemporary accounts mention stormy weather, whereas others fail to mention the weather, suggesting that the flood occurred without warning. This has led some scientists to suggest that the flood may have been caused by a tsunami, but the latest research suggests the likely cause being a storm surge. Some experts believe a combination of an extremely high tide and storm surge (the Severn Estuary has the 2nd highest tidal range in the world) mean another event of the scale of 1607, although unlikely, is possible.<\/p>\n

In 2019, the Vale Council joined Welsh Government and other local authorities across the UK in declaring a global Climate Emergency. As a lead Local Flood Authority, the Vale has a statutory duty to investigate, log and report all instances of flooding. Public and charitable organisations often step up to help in such situations. Even so, it is a sobering thought that the first responsibility for protection of property in the event of flooding lies with the owner or occupier of the property, who is also responsible for any subsequent losses, repairs or remedial measures necessary.<\/p>\n

As part of its response to climate change, last year the Vale launched its Project Zero Plan aimed at preparation for the impact of climate change and the ever increasing risk of flooding in many of our communities. The plan includes a commitment to reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and at a practical level taking measures aimed at preventing floods, installing district heating schemes and a wider rollout of electric Nextbikes<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LESSONS FROM THE PAST AND A GATHERING STORM Extreme weather events seem to be on the increase as July brought us a mini heat wave followed by storms and heavy rain. On one recent occasion, 23 December 2020, the Vale experienced on average 33mm of rainfall over an 11 hour period and properties notably in Dinas Powys, Sully and Penarth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-2ER","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12839,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12839","url_meta":{"origin":10221,"position":0},"title":"More Tornadoes Per Square Mile In Britain","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st February 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"THERE ARE MORE TORNADOES PER SQUARE MILE IN BRITAIN THAN IN THE USA ! 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