During and after a flood

Floods can be very dangerous . If you experience flooding, make sure to protect yourself before your property!
If flooding poses a risk to life, get to a safe place and call the emergency services on 999.

You can follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook where, in event of flooding in the borough, we will post regular updates and messages.

Sandbags

It is a property or business owner’s responsibility to protect their premises from flooding.  Sandbags are often used as a way of protecting property from flood water. We do not provide sandbags, but they are readily available from builder’s merchants.

Sandbags tend to retain contaminants such as sewage and oils when they come into contact with floodwater. Ensure you wear gloves and wash hands thoroughly when handling. 

Unused sandbags can be kept in a dry shady place so they can be used again if needed in the future. Sacking material is normally biodegradable and will perish if left in place for a long time. It is therefore advisable to empty sacks and keep them dry for re-use. Store the sand in your garden, or yard for future use.

For other key information and contact details to help during a flood visit the GOV.uk website - flood pages.

During a flood You should:

• keep up to date on the weather and risks to your property using radio, TV, websites or social media
• listen to the local news and to the emergency services who will advise if evacuation is necessary
• keep your outside drains clear to let surface water escape
• turn off gas, electricity and water supplies (if it is safe to do) before flood water enters your property
• put plugs in sinks and baths and weigh them down to stop water overflowing into your home
• wash your hands whenever they come into contact with flood water as it may be contaminated
• keep out of the floodwater as it may contain dangers that you cannot see such as manhole covers, tree branches or pollution
• avoid walking, cycling and playing in or near floodwater. Accidents can happen very quickly in floodwater, it can take just 6 inches of fast flowing water to knock you over
• look after your neighbours even in the summer, people can suffer from hypothermia after their homes have become flooded with cold rainwater
• if possible, check on elderly relatives or neighbours in flooded areas and make sure they are all right
• be careful if you have a private water supply, flooding can affect its quality and damage equipment. Boil the water before drinking or using it for food preparation

If your home has been flooded, move your family and pets upstairs, or to a high place with a means of escape. Take your emergency grab bag with you.  If you are using a petrol or diesel water pump, put the generator outside, keep your doors and windows closed. Use a carbon monoxide detector in your home, generators produce carbon monoxide fumes which can kill.

During a flood you should not

• touch sources of electricity when standing in flood water
• enter your home if there is raw sewage in it, stay somewhere else until it has been cleaned
• smoke, eat or drink whilst in contact with flood water (always wash your hands in clean water before doing so)
• let your children play in flood water, it can become contaminated with sewage and chemicals
• use towpaths or 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
• walk by riverbanks or cross river bridges if possible, they may collapse in extreme situations or you may be swept off by large waves
• lift manhole covers to get rid of water, this can cause problems further down the system
• travel in heavy rain storms unless absolutely necessary
•  dump rubbish into ditches as this may end up blocking trash screens
• sweep rubbish and leaves into gullies or drains as this blocks them
• clear trash screens, this is highly dangerous and should only ever be carried out by trained professionals. If you think a trash screen needs clearing please report it
• drive through flooded roads or areas:
  • 80 percent of flood deaths happen in vehicles as the water is deeper than it looks and is moving fast
  • your vehicle may be swept away or you may become stranded, four inches of water is enough to stop a car while two feet of water will float your car
  • driving through flood water can spread sewage onto your car and into streets
     

Emergency plans

One of the key responsibilities we have as a Category 1 responder in the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), is to put emergency plans in place. 

Where a flood event becomes a major event, we have a Multi Agency Flood Plan. This has been agreed across all the key parties that have responsibilities in responding to flooding.

For more information including related documents for Emergency Plans please see the Emergency Plans web page.