How to prepare for a flood – A guide to surviving if your home is flooded

How to prepare for a flood

How to prepare for a flood is a simple inexpensive guide to surviving the days after the worst happens. In order to prepare for a flood you need to make sure you do at least two important things; First secure your property ( see below) and second make sure you have a grab bag ready.

A guide to surviving if your home is flooded

Why you need to be prepared for flooding in the UK

When the River Avon burst its banks and flooded nearby riverside properties in Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire last year. It caused mayhem and hundreds of people had to be evacuated who hadn’t been prepared for a flood.

They were left stranded and unable to do anything, because the didn’t have a grab bag that would allow for some form of continuity during the turbulent UK weather.

It has never been more important to make sure you have a guide to surviving if your home is flooded, especially if you have children and vulnerable people in your care.

How to survive flooding in the UK

You can’t rely on the government in these situations, because they are mainly preoccupied with immediate disaster relief and beyond that don’t have the resources to help anyone. So you need to be prepared and know how to survive flooding in the UK.

The main people who help are the local communities who come together and support the destitute in times of disaster and harsh weather conditions. Thus, to give you the best chance to survive you need to have the basics ready in case the worst happens.

How to prepare for a flood

If your area has a flood warning or severe flood warning (when there’s a danger to life) if you can it is essential that you secure your property in the event of flooding. The UK government advises the following in the event of flooding:

Secure your property in the event of flooding

Turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies, because you don’t want the water to create further damage that could have been avoided. Only do this if it’s safe to do so – do not touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water move your family, vehicles, pets and important items to safety, for example upstairs or to higher ground if you have them.

Use flood protection products, for example flood barriers or air brick covers follow advice from your local council or the emergency services – you may be asked to evacuate, if you are, you should also switch off any mains and electricals and gas supplies.

How to get your grab bag ready

Meanwhile make sure you have, a Flood Kit or ‘Grab bag’ ready or ‘Go bag ready’. It is a key way of minimising the risks and surviving the worst, if you choose to stay in your home or are evacuated to a rest centre.

Use this guide on how to get your grab bag ready and some of the suggestions come from The National Flood Forum suggest including: 

• Important documents, such as insurance details, passports and/or driver’s license.
• Mobile phone portable chargers and a battery pack
• Any first aid equipment, plasters, antiseptic liquid, gauges etc (water proof) is easy to pack into your pockets and leave for long periods.
• Emergency cash and credit cards
• Essential medication or repeat prescription forms 
• A torch, bottles of water, essential toiletries and baby wipes are a good things to keep
• Any non-perishable food – like energy bars and fruit if you can.
• We also recommend that you have some extra clothes, waterproof or coats you can wear.
• If you can buy foil blankets in advance, they are incredibly useful especially if you have young children as they can share them between themselves. They cost less than a fiver.

Who is at most risk of flooding

Around 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding. Low-income households are sadly eight times more likely to live in areas with tidal floodplains, leaving them at risk of flooding.

Nearly two thirds of low-income renters are without home contents insurance, leaving them vulnerable to devastating financial consequences during UK flooding.

Why we need to be prepared for flooding in the UK

The show also highlighted how local communities can support each other in the wake of such a disaster, something Tracey has often seen with her work at the National Flood Forum.

Dr Forrest is hopeful that people are realising how serious flooding can be. At the University of Hull, he oversees an MSc in Flood Risk Management where he sees first-hand the next generation of flood risk managers who are ‘enthusiastic and engaged’ about helping communities.

Shorter bursts are leading to more flooding

‘More and more heavy downpours in shorter bursts are leading to more flooding. As a country we need to really address what the impact of the changing climate means for water management and flooding.’

As water levels rise, it is important that people in power give communities the chance to build their defences. This can be anything from bolstering collections of sandbags to funding flood defence programmes.

Heavy downpours are more frequent

Heavy downpours are more frequent now with the UK seeing a rise in rain and stormy conditions. This naturally implies our current infrastructure is unable to cope with the water levels, thus we need to make investments to protect more land and homes in vulnerable areas.

‘We don’t want flooding to be something that makes people fearful and creates worry, but to be in a situation where people feel confident and empowered around flooding. In this situation, people would be supported to understand their own flood risk and be helped by the government to take measures to become flood-ready so they do not suffer disruption and damage from future extreme weather. This doesn’t have to be a battle.’

Useful contacts in the event of flooding

Make sure you write and save the numbers in your phone and go bag and feel free to add any questions below, to the guide of how to prepare for flood in the UK.

If you need advice or support about flooding you can contact the National Flood Forum on 01299 403055.

Contact the Environment Agency if you have questions about your responsibilities.

Environment Agency
[email protected]
Telephone: 03708 506 506
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm

Ask Floodline to send flood warnings to a friend or relative on your behalf.

Floodline
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
Textphone: 0345 602 6340
24-hour service

Which is an example of good flood preparedness?