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Commissioners appointed |

The Government has announced that Commissioners are to be appointed for Nottingham City Council.  For further information, the council’s response and FAQs can be read here.

The Environment Agency has produced a guide on what to do before, during and after a flood. It features advice such as how to check whether you are at risk of flooding, checklists to help you prepare and practical advice should flooding occur.

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Sand Bags

  • Sand and sandbags should be purchased before they are needed, as supplies are likely to sell out if a flood is imminent.
  • Sandbags purchased in advance could end up being stored for a long time (if flooding does not occur).
  • Consider their shelf life and perches rot resistant Hessian or UV stabilized plastic.

Nottingham City Council keeps a limited supply of sand and sandbags in stock for our use. We do not guarantee to be able to provide sandbags to the public in an emergency. We will try to help, but we may not be able to reach properties quickly enough and we may need to prioritize our limited resources to those in  greater need.


 

Flooding can cause damage to your home and belongings or business. If you think your property is at risk of flooding or you are concerned about flooding you can reduce flood damage if you prepare a plan in advance.

Your plan could contain:

  • Know who to contact and have a list of up-to-date numbers
  • Think about what you can move to a safe place e.g. personal items; photo albums; family documents; treasured mementos; pets etc
  • Check your household insurance and list their number in the contact list
  • Know where to turn off your gas, electricity and water
  • Prepare a grab bag which should contain: home insurance documents; torch with spare batteries; first aid kit and prescription medicines; bottled water; some tinned and dry food; baby food and baby care; money; mobile phones and chargers etc
  • You can protect your property from flood water; there are many suitable products available on the market which can be used. If you are the homeowner, it is your responsibility to protect your property; if you know you are at risk of flooding do it now before it is too late. If you are not the owner, speak to your landlord

More information can be found by visiting GOV.UK Flooding page

Flood Plans

If you believe that you may be at risk of flooding you should think about creating a flood plan. These can be personal, community, group or business based.

The plan should include:

  • A list of contact details for a various organisation, companies and individuals such as; your gas, water or electricity provider, local council, local radio station and travel and weather information
  • Key locations for cut off points for your gas, electricity and water
  • Useful individuals who may be able to help for example relatives, friends or neighbours
  • A checklist of actions to undertake if a flood is expected such as; moving furniture and electrical items to safety, rolling up carpets and rugs, putting important documents out of flood risk, etc

Make a flood plan

Plan how you’ll respond to a flood. Use a template to make a:

Guidance - A guide to adapting your home or business to flooding, and how to pump water out of your property after a flood.

If you know your property may be at risk of flooding there are steps you can take to better protect yourselves from the effects.

  • Consider buying and installing some property level resilience (PLR) measures, these can include:
    • Flood resilient doors and windows, air bricks and covers, removable and permanent flood gates, non-return valves or sumps and pumps

Some PLR measures are temporary, while others may require permanent structural work to take place. Some measures may involve letting water into the property but minimising the amount of damage it can do and speeds up the recovery process, these can include:

  • Wooden or tiled floors, raising any white goods off the floor, mounting boilers on the wall or replace wooden units with plastic alternatives

Find out if you're in an area at risk of flooding

The live flood warning map shows the locations where Flood Alerts, Flood Warnings or Severe Flood Warnings are in force. The Environment Agency issues flood warnings when we expect flooding to occur.

The map is updated with information from our flood warning systems every 15 minutes. 

Preparing for flooding

It is important to understand your flood risk to enable those at risk to take action to mitigate and prepare for the impact of flooding, should it occur.

If you are concerned about flooding in the near future you are advised to tune in to national and local radio, news and weather forecasts.

More information can be found by visiting GOV.UK Flooding page

Watching river levels

The Environment Agency has a service which allows the public to view data on river levels. Having up-to-date information on local water levels will help people living in flood risk areas be better informed about the situation and decide what actions to take as the water levels change. The data will complement personalised phone and text message alerts from the organisation's free flood warning service. 

You can also contact the Environment Agency Floodline

In the event of a flood, focus on the safety of you and your family and in an emergency where your and/or someone else's safety is at risk, ring 999.

Follow these simple steps to stay safe:

  • Check all people in your household are safe; if not at home make sure they are safe somewhere
  • Gather essential items to a safe area, upstairs if possible
  • Move family and pets upstairs or to a higher place with a means of escape
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies (Do not touch sources of electricity if you are standing in water)
  • Keep listening to local radio, these stations will broadcast regular information
  • If safe to do so check vulnerable neighbours or relatives
  • Be aware of the dangers that flooding events can cause ,see section on General Safety
  • Evacuate when told

There are various organisations that work together to respond to floods. The time it takes for organisations to respond could be affected by a number of factors:

  • Rescue and assistance vehicles may have difficulty getting to you if roads are flooded or grid locked
  • Many requests for help may be received at the same time, overwhelming available resources
  • Authorities may receive little warning of flooding

Be aware that response and help may take time.

More information can be found by visiting GOV.UK Flooding page

You need to assess the damage and consider the following:

  • If you are insured, contact your insurer as soon as possible
  • If you rent, contact your Landlord
  • If you do not have insurance, your local council may be able to give you information on hardship grants and charities that may be able to help
  • The flood may have caused structural damage to your property
  • Take care entering the area damaged by the flood as there may be hidden dangers such as sharp objects, raised manhole covers and pollution

More information can be found by visiting GOV.UK Flooding page

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  • Flood waters can contain sewage, chemicals, animals waste etc
  • Wear appropriate protection: waterproof outerwear; gloves; wellington boots; face mask
  • Do not turn the electricity on until a qualified electrician confirms it is safe
  • Ensure any motorised equipment, pumps or generators have adequate ventilation, as a build up of carbon monoxide from the exhaust gases can kill
  • Ordinary household products can be used to clean and disinfect your property
  • You can use a garden hose for washing down but don't use a pressure washer as it will blast contaminated matter into the air

More information can be found by visiting GOV.UK Flooding page

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Clearing up and making repairs after a flood

Food and water safety

  • Six inches of fast-flowing water can knock over an adult and two feet of water can move a car
  • (There were a number of fatalities in 2012 due to people believing their 4 by 4's can get through flood waters)
  • Avoid walking or driving through flood waters, there may be hidden dangers such as missing grid and manhole covers
  • Avoid contact with flood water as it may contain sewage, chemicals and water born diseases
  • Ensure general hygiene is maintained; thoroughly wash your hands if you touch the flood water