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Flooding
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What to do in an Emergency >
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Be prepared
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Make sure your home is adequately insured and major contents listed |
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Make sure your property is in good repair |
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Know how and where to turn off your water, electricity and gas supplies |
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Acquire carrying boxes or baskets for pets |
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Collect and maintain a home emergency pack |
Gather information
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Listen to the weather forecast, travel updates, flood warnings on your local radio station
(Follow this link bad weather conditions ) |
Before a flood
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Put your home emergency pack in a safe, accessible place |
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Protect doorways and low level vents with sandbags (remember to unblock these vents before switching everything back on) |
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Consider stocking sandbags now (your district/borough council may not be able to supply them) |
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Move valuables, food and other possessions upstairs where possible |
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Turn off gas and electricity if flooding is definitely about to happen to your property |
Advice during heavy rainfall and potential flooding
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Motorists should not attempt to drive through flooded roads or fords. The water is often deeper than it looks and may be moving quite fast. Your vehicle may be swept away or become stranded |
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Do not attempt to walk through flooded areas. Even shallow water moving fast can sweep you off your feet and there may be hidden dangers such as open drains, damaged road surfaces, submerged debris or deep channels; these can cause serious injuries or even death. |
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Children should not be allowed to play in flood water, which can become contaminated with sewerage and chemicals |
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Do not smoke, eat or drink whilst in contact with floodwater and always wash your hands afterwards. |
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Keep an eye on weather reports on local television or radio news channels. Do not travel in heavy rain storms unless absolutely necessary |
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Look after neighbours. People have been known to suffer from hypothermia after their homes have become flooded with cold rainwater even in the summer time |
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Remember that the during a storm the emergency services will be very busy, only call for immediate assistance if there is a risk to life or serious property or environmental damage |
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Following a flood in your home, make sure all electrical circuits are fully dried out and checked by an electrical engineer before switching back on. |
During a flood
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Co-operate fully with the emergency services |
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Do not switch on electricity or gas until these have been inspected by a qualified engineer |
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Do not use food that has been in contact with flood water |
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Assume that flood water contains sewage |
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Ensure that you wear gloves when handling affected items |
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Thoroughly disinfect and dry affected household items |
After a flood
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Call your insurance company. Tell them what has happened and if possible take photographs of damaged items prior to disposal, as this may help your insurance claim |
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Check the yellow pages under Flood Damage for suppliers of cleaning materials or equipment to dry out your property |
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Contact the gas, electricity and water companies. You will need to have your supplies checked before you turn them back on |
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Open the doors and windows to ventilate your home (it takes a brick about 25mm/1inch a month to dry out) |
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Remember to unblock your airbricks and doorways, but take care to ensure your house is secure against intruders |
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Watch out for any broken glass or nails whilst your are cleaning up |
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Wash taps and run water for a few minutes before use. Mains tap water should not be contaminated, but check with your local water company if you are concerned |
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Do not turn on any electrical equipment until you are sure it has dried out |
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Beware of bogus traders - with so much damage it is tempting to take the first offer that comes along |
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Don't panic if you can't cope. There are organisations which may be able to help or advise such as the Fire and Rescue Services, District/Borough Councils and the Citizens Advice Bureaux |
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Remember, don't think it can't happen again - restock your supplies |
Drying out and redecorating your property after flooding
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Initially, all floor coverings should be removed and walls washed with clean water only |
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To help the house to dry out, windows and doors should be left open as much as possible and a fire kept alight or heat provided in each room |
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Lift one or two floorboards, particularly against outside walls, to increase the draught under the floor |
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Any furniture standing near walls should be removed and the wallpaper stripped off the flooded parts of walls |
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Any silt that has found its way under the house should be cleared away and under-floor gratings should be cleared. Silt or earth accumulated against brickwork above the damp-proof course should be cleared away and built-in cupboards left open - especially the one under the staircase |
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Walls may become covered with a white powder as they dry out. This is the salt already present in the bricks and should be brushed off dry |
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Under-floor timbers and floorboards of suspended floors must be dried before replacing floor coverings. It is safer to use loose rugs for six months because the longer the floor remains damp, the greater the chance of rot setting in and this will cause decay and the loss of strength of the wood |
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If the house is built of brick or stone, the walls will take some months to dry out. Do not rush to re-decorate |
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If re-decoration is necessary, the walls should be treated with an anti-mould solution and decorated with distemper or emulsion paint |
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If the plaster was already perished, it may have been weakened further by the flooding and may need to be replaced. Re-plastering should be carried out as soon as possible, but then leave the walls bare for a while to dry out |
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Hinges and locks may need oiling to prevent them from seizing up |
Further information
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