Get your home ready for a flood

Start with warnings

You can get Environment Agency flood warnings by phone, text or email. The service is free ². It covers flooding from rivers, the sea or groundwater, depending on where you live. There are no warnings for surface water flooding, sometimes called flash flooding ². You can also sign up, or change your details, by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, any time of day ².

Floodline can send warnings to a friend or relative on your behalf ¹. If you have a disability or need extra help, ask your council whether you can get it during a flood ¹.

GOV.UK also lets you check for flooding in the next five days, and check your long-term flood risk ¹.

Make a flood plan

GOV.UK has a personal flood plan you can fill in ¹³. It lists things to do to get ready, and says not to wait until a flood happens, because you may not have time ³. Keep your plan somewhere safe with other essentials, such as spare medication, important documents and contact details ¹.

Somerset Council suggests a plan that covers what you’ll do before a flood, such as turning off gas and electricity and moving important things to a safe place, plus a list of useful phone numbers: insurer, utility companies, bank, doctor and vet ⁵. It also suggests a flood kit made up before you need it, because the emergency services may not reach you for some time. Its list includes documents, warm and waterproof clothes, a torch, drinking water and food, medicine, phones and chargers, and things for children ⁵.

Know how to turn things off

If you have to leave home in a flood, you’ll need to turn off the water, gas and electricity ¹. Find them now. GOV.UK says you’ll usually find ¹:

• the water stop tap inside, where the supply comes in, or outside near the boundary under a cover;
• the gas shut-off valve next to the gas meter;
• the electricity main switch on the fuse board.

Keep water out

GOV.UK is clear that you cannot completely protect a home against flooding, but you can limit how much water gets in ⁴. The measures it lists are ⁴:

• a flood resistant front door, or temporary removable barriers for doors, or a raised door threshold;
• a damp-proof coating or membrane on walls and floors;
• self-closing air bricks, or watertight covers for air bricks;
• flood resistant valves on drains and water pipes;
• an inflatable bung for the toilet u-bend.

Somerset Council adds a warning. Where flood water could be more than 0.9 metres deep, keeping it out can sometimes do more harm than good, because the pressure of the water can damage the building itself ⁵.

Limit the damage if it gets in

Other changes reduce the damage a flood does. GOV.UK’s examples ⁴:

• tiles fixed with waterproof adhesive and grout instead of fitted carpets;
• sockets, fuse boxes and wiring at least 1.5 metres high;
• lime-based plaster, or plasterboard fixed horizontally, rather than gypsum plaster;
• water-resistant skirting boards, kitchen units of stainless steel, plastic or solid wood, and fridges and appliances on plinths;
• shelves fixed high on the walls.

Groundwater flooding needs different floors. GOV.UK suggests speaking to a specialist about the right option for your home ⁴.

Sandbags

Somerset Council no longer provides sandbags. It says owners, tenants and businesses are responsible for protecting their own property ⁵. In its view sandbags work against short floods and wash from passing vehicles, but not against longer floods, and it suggests considering more permanent Kitemarked products if your home is at risk ⁵.

If you do use them, the council advises buying before flooding is forecast, because builders’ merchants can run out once warnings are issued ⁵. Fill bags no more than half to three-quarters full, lay them in staggered layers like brickwork, and put plastic sheeting behind them ⁵.

That is Somerset Council’s approach. If you live in Wiltshire, Swindon, Bath and North East Somerset or North Somerset, check your own council’s website.

Who can help

• Advice on protecting your home and what it costs: GOV.UK points to the National Flood Forum, a charity ¹.
• Flood specialists for floors and walls: GOV.UK points to the Property Care Association ⁴.
• After the work is done: you or a surveyor can fill in a flood risk report that shows insurers or buyers how the work affects the flood risk ¹⁶.
• Local volunteers: flood action groups and community flood wardens. Find them on social media, through your council’s website, or by contacting the National Flood Forum ¹.
• Insurance: GOV.UK says Flood Re can help you find lower-cost home insurance if you are in a flood-risk area. If your home floods and your insurer is in Flood Re’s Build Back Better scheme, you could get up to £10,000 towards protection as part of the repairs ¹.

If you own land next to a river, brook or mill stream, you have duties too, including keeping the banks maintained and not blocking the flow. You may need permission for work that affects a river’s flow ¹.