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15th July 2019Protect yourself from Flooding
Preparing yourself for a flood will make things so much easier if your home is ever flooded. Putting things in place such as installing flood protection products or preparing a Flood kit ‘Grab bag’ are key ways of minimising the risks and surviving the worst. You can also sign up to the Flood Alert system, to receive flood alert notifications, check out the below for more information.
Find out if you’re at risk
Enter your postcode to find out if you’re in an area at risk from flooding.
Sign up for flood warnings
In many flood risk areas, you can sign up for flood warnings. These warn of the risk of flooding from rivers, the sea and groundwater. You’ll be alerted by phone, email or text when flooding is expected. Flood warnings and alerts are not available in all areas.
Know what to do
The best way to protect yourself from flooding is to know what to do in advance.
We issue 3 levels of flood warning:
Flood alert – Prepare
prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents
check flood warnings
Flood warning – Act
turn off gas, water and electricity
move things upstairs or to safety
move family, pets and car to safety
Severe flood warning – Survive
call 999 if in immediate danger
follow advice from emergency services
keep yourself and your family safe
Save a copy of this simple flood plan (PDF, 139KB) so you’ll know what to do when there’s a flood warning in your area.
You can also use templates to make your own personal flood plan for:
Flood kits
You should prepare a bag of essential items to take with you if you have to leave your home. Keep this in a safe place.
What should I include in a Flood kit?
- Emergency Flood Kit
- Insurance documents and other important documents
- Mobile phones and charges
- Clothing
- Glasses
- Emergency cash and credit cards
- Prescriptions medications/repeat prescriptions forms
- Precious items
Please remember that even though you have done your best to prevent water entering your property there is still a risk of flooding. People tell us that the most devastating loss is their memorabilia – things that can’t be replaced. It is so important that you keep these precious items upstairs, in a loft or in high, safe place in your home.
Know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water
If you leave your home during a flood you’ll need to turn off your mains water, gas and electricity if it’s safe to do so. You should find out in advance how to do this.
The location of water stopcocks, gas shut-off valves and electrical master switches varies between properties. The gas shut-off valve is usually beside the meter. The mains electricity cut-off is usually a big red switch on your fuse box. If you can’t find your water stopcock, ask someone with practical experience or a plumber to help you.
You can make changes to your property that will help you to get back to normal more quickly after a flood and reduce the damage flooding can do.
To reduce flood damage you can take steps such as laying tiles instead of carpets, moving electrical sockets higher up the wall and fitting non-return valves to stop flood water entering your property through the drains. Bluepages lists suppliers of flood products and services.
For more information on advance measures, get the National Flood Forum’s property protection guides for property owners or for local authorities and professionals.
Simple maintenance like keeping drains and gullies clear of debris will also help to protect your property.
Check your insurance
Make sure you have insurance to protect your home or business. If you have buildings and contents insurance, check if flood damage is included.
If you rent your home, it’s your responsibility to protect your belongings.
If you’re finding it difficult to get your property insured for flooding, the National Flood Forum may be able to help.
The Flood Re scheme works with some insurance providers to reduce the cost of insuring certain homes against flooding.
Bookmark flood forecasting websites
Keeping a list of useful web pages can save time when you want to check:
Find out where you’ll get help
Areas prone to flooding may already have flood groups and community hubs where you can find food, clothing, shelter and advice during a flood. Some areas have community flood wardens – volunteers who monitor a specific local area and inform its residents when flooding is likely.
Visit the National Flood Forum or call them on 01299 403 055 for help in finding local support. You can also try searching for local flood groups on social media.