Storm Darragh Tears Chapel Roof, Cuts Power to 95,000

Storm Darragh’s severe winds have dislodged a chapel’s roof and led to electricity outages affecting approximately 95,000 premises nationwide. The Met Office had issued a red weather warning, its most severe classification, for 13 counties from 03:00 GMT to 11:00 GMT, forecasting hazardous and potentially fatal conditions; however, no grave injuries have been documented thus far. The storm resulted in extensive destruction and interruptions to transportation, notably the closure of Cardiff Airport’s runway on Saturday morning. Powerful wind blasts impacted coastal areas and elevated terrain, with the Met Office registering wind speeds of 94mph (150 km/h) in Capel Curig, Conwy county, at 08:00. Dyfed-Powys Police announced a major incident across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys. Supt Chris Neve stated that there were “robust plans” to manage the circumstances. South Wales Police reported receiving a call around 12:45 on Saturday concerning a tree that had fallen onto a car in Morriston, Swansea. The two individuals inside the vehicle sustained no injuries. Witness Danny Mac commented: “Everybody was okay, thank God, but the road had to be closed. It was really scary, although the police and fire brigade were on the scene pretty quickly.” The agricultural community of Mochdre, situated near Newtown, Powys, expressed being “completely devastated” upon discovering that the roof of Pentre Baptist Church had been removed. Jonathan Rees, 47, a farmer and meat vendor, observed that “the roof is scattered in piles from one end of the graveyard to the other”. He mentioned that villagers attempted to salvage the organ and pulpit, but the environment was “too dangerous and the wind was still really strong”. Adam Williams from Prince Leisure Group, proprietor of Llandudno Pier, described the destruction inflicted by Storm Darragh on the north Wales landmark as “heartwrenching”. He stated: “It’s blown a lot of stuff everywhere, but mainly one of the 150-year-old kiosks has gone overboard and is down the coast somewhere.” He added: “The staff, they dedicate their life to [the pier], and we’ve spent a lot of time and money on it – so to see this happen overnight is destroying.” In Porthcawl, Bridgend county, a section of the roof of an apartment building within The Links complex in Rest Bay was entirely torn away. The National Grid reported that nearly 64,000 properties in mid and south Wales were experiencing power outages. Scottish Power indicated that approximately 31,000 residences in its service region, primarily throughout north and mid Wales, were also without electricity. Natural Resources Wales announced that 30 flood warnings, representing the second-highest alert level, were active. Certain roads are impassable, and railway services nationwide have been interrupted, leading to the cancellation of all ferry trips to Ireland. In south Wales, several segments of the M4 were shut down. Transport for Wales advised train commuters to consult schedules prior to their journeys, as numerous services were inoperative. Strong winds also necessitated the closure of the Prince of Wales Bridge and the M48 Severn Bridge in Monmouthshire, compelling a significant detour for those traveling into Wales from south-west England. Great Western Railway confirmed the cancellation of all trains operating between Carmarthen and Bristol. Nick Millington, Network Rail’s route director for the Wales and Border Route, stated: “As of [Saturday afternoon] we are running the railway between Cardiff and England via the Severn tunnel to Bristol and beyond, so that is open.” He continued: “Above Cardiff on the core valley lines we are open to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr and that is it.” He noted: “The rest of the railway has got damage or we can’t get to it to check it.” He further mentioned that personnel would be working “all night” to inspect and clear hundreds of miles of railway from obstructions like sheds and trampolines dislodged from private gardens. He remarked: “The main challenge has been the wind, but tonight the worry will be flooding as we’ve got quite high groundwater and alerts on some of the rivers already.” First Minister Eluned Morgan commented: “We should not be complacent, there is a lot more to come for the rest of the weekend.” She added: “It looks like the worst of it is over but there are still very high winds, more rain to come and people should be very careful.” The red wind warning encompassed Bridgend, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Gwynedd, Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, and Vale of Glamorgan. Cardiff City’s Championship home game against Watford scheduled for Saturday was postponed, as was Newport County’s League Two match against visiting Carlisle United. Concurrently, the Ospreys’ fixture against Emirates Lions on Sunday has been relocated to Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli, following damage to the Swansea.com Stadium. In Rhondda Cynon Taf, an area previously affected by destructive floods during Storm Bert, the local authority reported that a minimum of 40 trees had fallen, scattering debris across roadways. Marc Morris was assisting elderly residents in Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire, amidst the tempestuous conditions. He stated, while standing near a fallen tree on Heol Penymorfa: “I’ve been making sure the elderly neighbours are safe.” Approximately three million individuals in Wales and south-west England received a mobile phone alert on Friday evening, cautioning them about the severe weather. Handsets emitted a loud, siren-like sound and vibrated for about 10 seconds, even if configured to silent mode. This represented the most extensive deployment of the UK government’s warning system beyond a test situation, with the most recent test occurring in April 2023. An amber warning for rain was also active from 03:00 on Saturday until 18:00. Additionally, an amber warning for wind covered Wales until 21:00, alongside a yellow rain warning valid until noon. A yellow wind warning for the entirety of Wales, which commenced at 15:00 on Friday, is still current until 06:00 on Sunday. The previous red warning in Wales occurred during Storm Eunice in 2022, which resulted in power loss for tens of thousands. Natural Resources Wales had indicated prior to the storm that the anticipated rainfall volume would be lower than that experienced during Storm Bert, which caused widespread devastation throughout Wales last month. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.