We are all at risk of flooding. It could be from heavy rain, a burst water pipe, blocked drains, overloaded sewers, flooded roads, flooded rivers, rising groundwater or other various sources.

Some properties are more at risk than others and some flooding incidents can be so sudden or extreme that they are beyond prevention. When flooding is forecast or occurs, there are various organisations you can turn to for help which are detailed below, but there are steps you can take yourself to help prevent flooding incidents in your own home.

The effects and of flooding can be devastating and take many months to return the house to its former condition. The effects on residents and their health should not be underestimated. The worry and stress of dealing with contractors, insurance companies and loss adjusters and others can harm people’s health.

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

A template is available from the Government webpages and a helpful link can be found in our useful contacts in our Flood Document Library.

Flood Prevention

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

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). It is therefore worth considering their shelf life and purchasing 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.

If you wish to have more information regarding sandbags please find a link to the Government Guidance regarding the use of sandbags for a flood as found in our helpful links in our Flood Document library.

After a flood / Flood Recovery

Flooding can be a devastating event, if you have been affected by flooding, there is a lot you can do to get your life back to normal as quickly as possible.

• Talk to your insurance company and follow any advice they may have
• If necessary arrange any accommodation you may need during the cleanup phase
• When you enter the property make sure you wear rubber boots, waterproof gloves and any other protective clothing to clean up
• Do not turn on gas or electrics if they may have got wet. Only turn them on when they have been checked by a qualified technician
• Follow advice regarding the generic clean-up and drying out routine (a link to the government guidance can be found in our helpful links in our Flood Document Library)
• If you have not got a flood plan or any protective measures in place, consider researching options in case of a repeat incident