Storm Franklin: Llandinam residents rescued by boat

Residents had to be evacuated and seven people were rescued by boat after the River Severn burst its banks during Storm Franklin, a councillor has said.

Karl Lewis said one person was taken to hospital as a precaution after flooding left Llandinam, Powys, looking like a "disaster zone".

It was the third named storm within a week and came just days after Wales was battered by Storm Eunice.

Dozens of flood warnings were in place and high winds caused further damage.

Mr Lewis, county councillor for Llandinam, said four properties in the village were flooded after heavy rain and strong winds caused the river banks to burst at about 16:00 GMT Sunday.

"We've rescued seven people out of four properties near the River Severn when it came across the road," he said.

He described those rescued as "elderly and frail", adding: "It's like a disaster zone. The river levels are dropping now, but the A470 remains impassable."

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has issued more than 20 flood warnings, with north Powys the worst affected.

At Meifod, the River Vyrnwy reached 3.817m (12.5 ft), beating the previous high of 3.79m (12.43 ft), while the River Severn in Newtown reached 4.106m (13.47 ft), eclipsing the record of 3.63m (11.9 ft) from 2008.

Hundreds of homes were still without power on Sunday evening after widespread damage was caused following 92mph (148km/h) winds.

A yellow warning for wind is in place across Wales until 13:00 GMT on Monday.

A woman on Twitter said a small stream near her mother's home in Caersws, north Powys, now resembled a river.

In Powys, the A470 between Llangurig and Rhayader was closed due to flooding, according to Dyfed Powys Police, as was the A458 at Cyfronydd, Powys and A487 Dyfi Bridge in Machynlleth.

Sara Gibson described difficult driving conditions on the A458 in Powys, as river levels continued to rise.

Nigel Brinn, an executive director at Powys council, said: "We are expecting river levels in the north of the county to be comparable to their peak during Storm Dennis."

Storm Dennis brought record rainfall to Wales in February 2020, resulting in some of the most significant and devastating flooding seen since the 1970s.

NRW said flooding was expected in Powys on the River Teme in Knighton, along the River Severn around Welshpool, and on the River Vyrnwy at Llansantffraid, Llanymynech and Meifod.

It said flooding was also possible around large parts of the Welsh coast and on several rivers including the Dee in Wrexham and Denbighshire, the Usk estuary in Newport and the Wye estuary in Monmouthshire.

Meanwhile, travel on roads and railway lines continues to be disrupted following damage caused by Storm Eunice.

Gwent Police said several roads were affected by the weather on Sunday evening, including the A472 in Newbridge and a number of routes in Newport. In Cardiff, Cathedral Road is closed after a tree fell on to a property.

Cardiff resident Yoko Hargreaves, 23, who lives on Cathedral Road, described sitting down to watch television and looking up to see a tree crashing into her property.

Her house was unscathed and she thinks a few tiles were damaged next door, adding: "It was really shocking. I think we anticipated the worse of the storm was taking place on Friday so to suddenly have a tree come down on the property today was really unexpected."

In Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales Police said it had closed Cyfarthfa Retail Park after receiving reports of insecure roofing.

Tens of thousands of homes had been without power as workers from Western Power and Scottish Power worked to restore electricity over the weekend.

The worst affected areas have been Gower, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, according to Western Power.

Analysis by BBC Wales weather presenter Sabrina Lee

A third storm system has been named in the space of less than a week; first Storm Dudley, then Storm Eunice and now Storm Franklin.

Gusts of 50-60mph (80-97km/h) are expected quite widely, possibly closer to 70mph (113km/h) for some coastal locations

Whilst the peak wind gusts will not be as high as those recorded in Storm Eunice, the spell of very windy conditions could delay the Storm Eunice clear-up.

In addition, there is a greater chance of disruption than usually observed with winds of this strength, as Storm Eunice has resulted in weakened or damaged trees and structures.

The roof of a school gymnasium "peeled back like a piece of cardboard", according to the head teacher, who said: "This could have been a catastrophe."

Sarah Hopkins, of Bishop Hedley secondary school in Merthyr Tydfil, said it happened on Friday when there were no children present, with debris inside the building and the floor now covered in water.

Ms Hopkins said scaffolding needed to be put up to secure the roof but winds had been too strong for that to happen.

When children return after half-term, they will be able to use another sports hall or indoor 3G pitch, with Ms Hopkins adding: "This is just a building. It could have been so much worse."

The power cuts have brought out community spirit, with warm drinks and biscuits being offered to anyone without power by Amman United RFC in Glanamman, Carmarthenshire.

And Pembrokeshire council has urged family and friends to check on users of personal alarms, saying they have a 24-hour battery as a back-up in the event of a power cut.

Volunteers also came forward to help with a clean-up at Greenacres Rescue in Little Haven, Pembrokeshire, where rabbit and geese enclosures were blown around "like they were dolls houses".

A roof blew off a stable and the main office - a static caravan - was "torn apart" but no animals were hurt and well-wishers pledged more than £2,000 to help with costs.

Julie James, Minister for Climate Change, said she had "huge gratitude for the people who've worked their socks off this weekend, and getting prepared, and then helping to clear up the aftermath".

"If we can't get the world's temperature to come down, we're going to be seeing more and more of these events," she told BBC Radio Wales Sunday Supplement.

Transport for Wales said its "emergency amended timetable" would continue to run until further notice following damage caused by Storm Eunice.

It advised rail passengers to check their journeys before they travel on Sunday and Monday.

Several roads remain closed due to fallen trees, power cables and debris, including Goetre Fach Road in Killay, Swansea, where tiles were blown off a chapel roof.

The M48 Severn Bridge at Monmouthshire has been closed due to the strong winds and restrictions are in place on the A55 Britannia Bridge between Anglesey and Gwynedd.