Floods

Am I at risk of flooding?

To find out if your home is at risk of flooding, visit the Environment Agency website. You can type in your postcode to see if you are at risk, use their flood maps to see the predicted risk of flooding in your area and find out if you can receive early flood warnings.

Simple ways to protect your home from flooding

This guide issued by the Environment Agency gives practical advice on how to make your home more likely to withstand the effects of flooding. Measures are often simple and do not need technical knowledge. Following the advice in this guide may save you and your family a great deal of expense and minimise the hard work and heartache of cleaning up a home after a flood.

Damage Limitation [pdf: 813kb]

Installing your own flood defences

If you know you are at risk of flooding, you can prepare in advance. Many products can be installed in advance, then simply clipped on and off when needed - such as the 'flood board' or air brick cover. You can also get plastic skirts to surround your whole property, or temporary free-standing barriers which can protect a group of properties.

Visit the Environment Agency website for a list of Kitemark certified flood products.

A guide for older people

Your first thought should be your safety. Find out if family or friends can offer you a place to stay when flooding threatens If you have a disability contact your local authority social services and ask them how they will help if you are at risk from flooding.

Plan your escape route, particularly if you are in a bungalow. If you live in a house and have window locks, always keep a key upstairs. Find out from your local authority where you would be evacuated to and let family and friends know. Download the full guide for older people below, and find links to other information about flooding.

Make a list of useful numbers and keep it in a safe place. This should include, Floodline 0845 988 1188, family and friends, your local authority and your insurance company.

The leaflet below, issued by the Environment Agency, should help you to plan ahead and reduce the risk to you and your belongings.

A Guide for Older People by the Environment Agency.

During a flood

What to do when you hear a flood warning:

• Listen out for warnings on radio and TV and phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for more information.
• Move pets, vehicles, valuables and other items to safety.
• Alert your neighbours, particularly the elderly.
• Put sandbags or flood boards in place - but make sure your property is ventilated. Plug sinks/baths and put a sandbag in the toilet bowl to prevent backflow.
• Be ready to turn off gas and electricity (get help if needed). Unplug electrical items and move them upstairs if possible.
• o-operate with emergency services and local authorities - you may be evacuated to a rest centre.
• Do as much as you can in daylight. Doing anything in the dark will be a lot harder, especially if the electricity fails.

Tips to help you stay safe in a flood:

• Floods can kill. Don't try to walk or drive through floodwater - six inches of fast flowing water can knock you over and two feet of water will float your car. Manhole covers may have come off and there may be other hazards you can't see.
• Never try to swim through fast flowing water - you may get swept away or be struck by an object in the water.
• Don't walk on sea defences, riverbanks or cross river bridges if possible - they may collapse in extreme situations or you may be swept off by large waves. Beware of stones and pebbles being thrown up by waves.
• Avoid contact with floodwater - it may be contaminated with sewage.

After a flood

First steps :

• Call your insurance company's (24 hour) Emergency Helpline as soon as possible. They will be able to provide information on dealing with your claim, and assistance in getting things back to normal.
• Keep a record of the flood damage (especially photographs or video footage) and retain correspondence with insurers after the flood.
• Commission immediate emergency pumping/repair work if necessary to protect your property from further damage. This can be undertaken without insurer approval (remember to get receipts).
• Get advice where detailed, lengthy repairs are needed. Your insurer or loss adjuster can give advice on reputable contractors / tradesmen. Beware of bogus tradesmen and always check references.
• Check with your insurer if you have to move into alternative accommodation as the cost is normally covered under a household policy.
• Make sure your insurance company knows where to contact you if you have to move out of your home.

Cleaning up:

• Find out where you can get help to clean up. Check with your local authority or health authority in the first instance or look under 'Flood Damage' in Yellow Pages for suppliers of cleaning materials or equipment to dry out your property. It takes a house brick about one month per inch to dry out.
• Open doors and windows to ventilate the house, but take care to ensure your house and valuables are secure.
• Contact your gas, electricity and water company. Have your power supplies checked before you turn them back on to make sure they have dried out. Wash taps and run them for a few minutes before use.
• Don't attempt to dry out photos or papers - place them in a plastic bag, and if possible store them in the fridge.
• Throw away food which may have been in contact with floodwater - it could be contaminated.
• The Citizens Advice Bureau and other organisations may be able to help if you feel under pressure, their numbers can be found in the phone book.
• Don't think it can't happen again. Restock your supplies.

An advice guide, "After a Flood", issued by the Environment Agency is available below or is available from Floodline on 0845 988 1188.

After a Flood [pdf: 633kb]

Does this affect my insurance?

We are working with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to support the insurance industry's commitment to continue offering flood risk insurance to the vast majority of homes and businesses in flood risk areas.While the Environment Agency has no role in determining insurance cover, we do share a common goal with the ABI to improve flood mapping and provide the best available information to the public.

To assist householders and insurers in providing insurance, we have supplied ABI member insurance companies with information that gives a national assessment of likelihood of flooding, from rivers and the sea, within the floodplain taking into account flood defences. It provides a first step for insurers in assessing insurance. Please see the Questions and Answers document below for more information about floods and insurance.

Floods and Insurance [pdf: 205kb]

Floodline

Floodline is a 24-hour telephone information service operated by the Environment Agency in England and Wales and by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in Scotland (All calls are charged at local rate). Floodline offer the following services:

• Trained operators are available 24 hours a day seven days a week and can provide immediate practical advice on flood risk and what to do before, during and after a flood.
• Listen to recorded messages which contain information about any flood warnings that are in force in England, Wales and Scotland.
• perators can also provide you with a Quickdial number which allows direct access to any recorded flood warnings for your local area.
• range of free flood information leaflets and practical advice guides.
• Floodline factsheets and other printed materials are available in English and Welsh, large print and Braille and on audio cassette. They are also available in Albanian, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Somali, and Urdu. Report flood emergencies to Floodline operators.

You can contact Floodline by calling 0845 988 1188. For the deaf and hard of hearing there is a Minicom service 0845 602 6340

Online Flood Library

Find more detail about flood topics that interest you. The Environment Agency has created a library of useful fact sheets that makes all ther online literature available to you from one location. Whether it's Flood fact sheets in other languages, educational material for children and schools, and more. View Flood Fact Sheets.