Public urged to prepare for floods after wettest 18 months on record.
Environment Agency launches Flood Action Week to ensure every person knows their flood risk?
This Flood Action Week (14-20 October) follows the wettest 18 months on record, with the Met Office warning of another wet autumn and winter.
Public urged to sign up to flood warnings, make sure they have a flood plan and take simple steps to prepare?
The Environment Agency is urging Devon and Cornwall communities to ensure they are prepared for a flood as the nation marks the annual ‘Flood Action Week’, which this year runs from 14-20 October.
This year’s awareness campaign coincides with the one-year anniversary of Storm Babet, which brought significant flooding across the country.
As climate change brings more extreme weather, there has already been flooding this autumn. This follows the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.
This campaign is all about showing people that they can easily take a few steps to reduce the devastation caused by floods to their homes and businesses, with around 5.5 million properties in England at risk from flooding. Recent data suggests that nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks, making this campaign all the more important.
The best way to protect yourself from flooding is early preparation and knowing what to do in advance. Some of the actions people can take to reduce the dangers are:
Check your long-term flood risk. You can use this free service to find out the long-term flood risk for an area in England, the possible causes of flooding, and how to manage flood risk.
Sign up for flood warnings by phone, text or email.
Take steps to protect yourself from future flooding – including storing important documents in a secure, waterproof location, taking rugs and small furniture upstairs, checking how to turn off your electricity and water, preparing a flood kit.
Explore longer-term Property Flood Resilience measures (PFR) to protect homes and businesses.?
Ben Johnstone, Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, said: “Our local teams train all year round to prepare for and respond to flooding. We are out on the ground, maintaining assets and engaging with communities to boost resilience. “However, we can never eliminate flood risk and the impacts of flooding entirely. That’s why it’s crucial for individuals to take steps to prepare themselves – this Flood Action Week and beyond. Everyone has a part to play. “With more heavy rainfall and stormy seas expected this winter, it’s vital you follow the key actions to better protect yourself, your loved ones and your properties from flooding.”
During a flood, it is especially important that drivers take particular care on roads, stay away from swollen rivers and do not drive through?flood water – just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.
The impacts of flooding to mental health can be equally as harmful as the physical damage and disruption. People whose homes have been damaged by extreme weather are more likely to have poor mental health than the rest of the population.
Following the flooding caused by Storms Ciara and Dennis in 2020, it was estimated that the average insurance claim per household was £32,000.?
Flood Re is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers aiming to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable. Its Build Back Better initiative enables householders to install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their properties after a flood.?
______________________________________________________
