Prepare for rising water levels and if your property gets damaged by floodwater

Here’s what you can do to prepare for rising water levels and if your property gets damaged by floodwater.

How to prepare for a flood

If you live in a flood-risk area, there are several steps you can take to get your home flood-ready. That way, you can limit potential damage and it also can help if you need to claim on your home insurance.

Read our top flood prevention tips below:

• Find out if you live in an at-risk area – Check if you live in an area with a long-term risk of flooding. You can do this by entering your postcode into the following government websites: gov.uk for England, sepa.org.uk for Scotland, naturalresources.wales for Wales, and nidirect.gov.uk for Northern Ireland
• Sign up for flood warnings – The above websites provide live updates on flood warnings, as well as river, sea, groundwater and rainfall levels. You can also sign up for flood alerts by providing your address and choosing to be contacted by either phone, text or email. For live updates and advice, call Floodline at 0345 988 1188
• Make a personal flood plan – This should cover all the things you need to do before, during, and after a flood. It should include details of items you might need to move, where to go for help, and who you might need to help. You should also note down things like where to get sandbags and how to shut off your gas, water, and electricity supply
• Prepare a flood kit – This should be kept in a safe place and include contact details you might need, like emergency numbers for your local authority and home insurance provider. Plus, items like warm waterproof clothing and blankets, drinking water, food, essential medication, a torch, gloves, wellingtons, pet food and carriers
• Take preventative measures – If a flood is expected in your area, there are plenty of things you can do to help protect your property. You can find a list of measures on how to prepare for flooding on gov.uk, these include:
  • Moving furniture, rugs and items of value upstairs or raising them up off the ground if this isn’t possible
  • Placing perishable things in waterproof bags
  • Filling containers with clean water
  • Turning off gas, water and electricity supplies
  • Blocking water entering through doors and windows with sandbags or pillowcases filled with earth
  • Covering airbricks and vents
  • Blocking water inlet pipes with towels or cloths
  • Throwing curtains over the rail out of reach of the flood water
  • Moving your car to higher ground and somewhere away from risk

Making preparations like these can also help if you need to make a home insurance claim, as your policy might not pay out if the damage was avoidable.

There are also long-term flood resilience measures that can be used for properties at high risk of flooding.

What to do when your house floods from rain

Heavy rainfall can lead to leaks in your roof, or problems in your basement if there’s groundwater flooding.

But if persistent rain causes nearby rivers and streams to burst their banks, your home could be facing even more serious issues.

Flooding can quickly cause chaos. But once it’s safe to return and you’ve dealt with the immediate damage, there are several things you should do to help get things back on track:

1. Contact your insurance company

If flooding has caused serious damage, you’ll need to contact your insurance company as soon as possible and follow their advice – most insurers have a 24-hour helpline.

Explain the situation and find out whether you’ll need alternative accommodation. Depending on the damage, they might send a loss adjuster to assess your home, so ask how long this will take.

Once it’s safe to go into your home, you’ll need to monitor and record the damage. Take photos and videos before you start cleaning up, and use a permanent pen to mark the height of the flood water in every room affected.

If you haven’t got home insurance, the National Flood Forum can offer help and support.

2. Find your local flood action group or flood warden

If the flooding is serious in your area, find out if there’s a council-run flood hub set up somewhere, like the town hall.

Recovery efforts will be organised from here and it’s the first place you should go to get up-to-date information, support and advice.

3. Check if you can return home

If the flooding meant you had to leave your home, don’t be tempted to go back in until you’ve checked it’s safe to return.

You might need to get the all-clear from the emergency services first. And your utility companies might want to do a safety inspection before your gas, electricity and water are turned back on.

4. Secure your home

Once you’re able to go back into your home, check whether the external doors and windows are still secure.

It’s important to make sure thieves and opportunists don’t have easy access to your home while it’s empty.

Close all doors to rooms that are unaffected and move any valuables to somewhere lockable and secure.

What is groundwater flooding?

Groundwater flooding happens when the level of water in the ground (known as the water table) rises after long periods of heavy rain.

Unlike a river bursting its banks or the surface water you sometimes see on roads, this type of flooding is much less visible.

When the saturation from below reaches ground level, water begins to seep through the surface. At this point, it might come up through the floors and walls of underground rooms – like cellars and basements – so you might not notice it for some time.

Groundwater flooding typically happens gradually and might occur several days, weeks or even months after heavy rain. It mainly occurs in areas with chalk or high levels of sand and gravel under the ground, so some parts of the country are more at risk.

What should I do if the floodwater is deeper than one metre?

If the floodwater outside your home is more than a metre deep, it’s actually better to let it come into your home.

That’s because your property’s walls might move, crack or collapse under the weight of water pressing against the building. This could cause serious structural damage.

It’s dangerous to stay in your home in these circumstances unless advised otherwise by emergency services.

Once the flooding outside has receded, you’ll likely need to use a water pump to remove the water in your home. But if the water outside or inside reaches a metre or more in depth, get a structural engineer to check if any structural repairs are needed.

For further information visit https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/guide/flood-damage-repair-and-prevention/