Mini Tornado In Bow Street, Ceredigion

In the early hours of the morning of the 28 November 2006, the community of Bow Street to the north of Aberystwyth suffered an episode of localised and very damaging winds; in fact a mini tornado. This note brings you up to date.

The first thing to say is that thankfully, there were no reported injuries or deaths arising from this incident.

In terms of the damage sustained, I have outlined the latest information below which indicates that whilst the incident was clearly traumatic for the people involved, the overall impact on some property and infrastructure was significant but not generally of a substantive or long lasting nature. Debris did cause a temporary interruption to rail services and road traffic between Aberystwyth and Machynlleth but these links were restored reasonably quickly during the immediate aftermath.

I have considered the possibility of Emergency Financial Assistance to Local Authorities involved in this incident under the auspicious of a Bellwin Scheme. Revenue costs falling to local authorities would fall for consideration under Bellwin guidance; however, an initial assessment has led officials to the conclusion that the incident would be relatively self-contained and not be substantial enough for such a scheme. It is nevertheless still open to local authorities involved to enquire about this if our initial assessment is incorrect.

There are undoubted costs to repair damaged property and for the most part this will be covered via claims to insurance companies.

A structural engineer engaged by the Local Authority has reported that buildings examined were generally sound. There is no reason to believe that there is lasting structural damage to any of the properties.

The Assembly Resilience Co-ordinator has been in regular touch with both Ceredigion District Council and Dyfed Powys Police regarding the local recovery effort. He has been assured that all incidents of damage are being addressed.

Damages sustained:

20 to 25 houses are reported to have some damage. The worst affected had chimneys removed, others have slates / roofing stripped away.

A builder’s merchant centre had corrugated sheets removed but these have been recovered and secured.

A children’s play area also sustained some damage. A touring caravan was overturned and some cars have been damaged by debris from roofs and/or trees, some of which were uprooted.

A major concern was for a residential home for the elderly in the area but it has been confirmed that this has not been damaged and the residents slept through the event.

This concludes my update. If there are any substantial changes in the situation at a later time I will of course raise the matter with you again.