Head
Office Press Office - 26-Mar-2008 - With
climate change likely to increase the risk
of extreme weather events and floods, the
Environment Agency has launched three simple
flooding guides that offer crucial advice
on how to protect your home and family -
before, during and after flooding.
The guides form an essential
part of the Environment Agency’s ongoing
Flood Awareness Campaign which urges every
household and business to check their flood
risk by calling Floodline on 0845 9881188
or using the online postcode checker at
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
More than 2.2 million
homes are situated in areas at risk of coastal
or river flooding in England and Wales and
even those properties not at risk of river
or coastal flooding can still be affected
by surface water flooding in cases where
drainage systems are unable to deal with
intense rainfall. Last summer alone around
50,000 homes were flooded, many of which
had never flooded before.
With an estimated £1
billion being spent repairing damage caused
by flooding annually - not to mention the
personal cost in terms of damaged possessions
and irreplaceable memories - flooding can
have a devastating impact on people’s lives.
The Environment Agency guides outline the
steps to take in advance of, during and
after flooding, to minimise this damage
and disruption and keep your family safe.
The three guides are:
Preparing for a flood
- The guide contains practical advice on
what to do to protect your home and family,
including how to create a flood plan, prepare
a flood kit of essential items, and lists
of key contacts. It explains the different
flood warning codes, outlining what action
should be taken when a flood happens and
gives advice on what you can do to minimise
flood water entering your property.
During a flood - Offering
advice on how to stay safe and what to do
in a flood, the publication indicates what
steps should be taken in an emergency, how
to protect your possessions, utilising your
flood kit and what to do in an evacuation.
After a flood - Providing
guidance on how to recover following a flood,
including what to do on returning to your
property, clearing up after a flood, dealing
with an insurance claim and finding temporary
housing. It also contains essential information
to ensure your home is protected from future
flooding.
Environment Agency Chief
Executive Barbara Young said: "People
must be prepared for floods and know what
to do if the worst happens. We strongly
advise that every household in a flood risk
area has their own plan of action that can
be quickly put in place during a flood emergency.
All households should read our three new
flooding guides, as in many cases preparation
makes a big difference."
For further information
about how to prepare for flooding and to
obtain copies of the Environment Agency’s
three flooding guides visit http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
or call Floodline 0845 988 1188.
+ More
Environment Agency ‘jazzes’
up shopping centre to get people to sign
up to flood warnings
Rob Walsh - 25-Mar-2008
- The Environment Agency are ‘jazzing’ up
the Crystal Peaks shopping centre in Sheffield
with a live band, life-size puppets as part
of a national campaign to get people at
risk of flooding to sign up to free flood
warnings.
Residents and businesses
in flood risk areas of Sheffield in South
Yorkshire are being urged sign up to free
flood warnings and also find out about protecting
their homes and businesses from flooding
at an event on Thursday 27 March 2008.
The Floodline Warnings
Direct service sends an automatic message
to the landlines and mobile telephones of
those signed up, telling them when flooding
is imminent and what action to take to protect
their home or business.
Anyone who wants to
know more about the free service should
come along to see if they are eligible to
sign up for the flood warning service. At
the same time they will also get the chance
to be entered in to the Environment Agency
free prize draw to win flood related goodies.
Emma Skinner, who is
leading the campaign in the South Yorkshire
area said: “It’s free to register for the
flood warning service and signing up couldn’t
be easier. Getting a flood warning from
the Environment Agency can give you the
time needed to protect yourself and your
property from flooding. The team will be
on hand all day to offer people the chance
to sign up there and then – it literally
takes a couple of minutes to register for
something which could save you thousands
of pounds.”
Emma continued: “In
Sheffield, 5145 people can register for
a free flood warning yet only 141 people
have signed up, and in Rotherham, only 186
people have signed up out of the 348 who
are eligible.”
Anyone wanting
to know if they are eligible for a flood
warning can also call the Environment Agency’s
Floodline on 0845 988 1188, or visit www.environment-agency.gov.uk/flood
for more information.
