Flooding can be a distressing and disruptive experience, and recovery can take time. This article brings together practical advice, local and national support, and key contacts to help residents understand what to do next. It includes guidance on reporting flooding, insurance and financial support, health and wellbeing, staying safe when returning home, and steps you can take to reduce the risk of future flooding.
Recent flooding – What can you do now?
Check with the emergency services that it’s safe to return to your property. Do not turn on your water, gas or electricity. Get your utilities company or a qualified engineer to check they are safe before turning them back on.
Report flooding
We understand it is a difficult time when people are affected by flooding, however if your home or business has flooded, please make sure you report it as close to the event as possible: www.gov.uk/report-flood-cause
Reporting flooding helps agencies to respond and prioritise recovery efforts, and helps capture the true costs of a flood, building a case for future interventions.
What local support is available?
If you have been impacted by flooding and it is not possible to remain in your home, your local authority may be able to help with temporary rehousing. They may also be able to assist with other welfare issues or offer financial support: www.gov.uk/find-local-council
Insurance
If you are insured, contact your insurance provider as soon as possible. You may need to make your home safe, however, do not carry out any works that will prevent your insurer from assessing the property damage if they need to.
Look at the details of your insurance policy. As part of Flood Re’s Build Back Better scheme, some insurers will pay an extra £10,000 as part of your claim for flood repairs, for adaptations to your property that could reduce future flood impacts. Find out more: www.floodre.co.uk/buildbackbetter/
If you’re not insured, contact your local council or charities such as National Flood Forum 01299 403055 or nationalfloodforum.org.uk, to find out if there are any grants or other support available. If your property is rented, your landlord is responsible for flood damage repairs to your home.
For more information on recovery, insurance and what to do if you’re not insured, Flood Mary has an excellent step-by-step guide: floodmary.com/help-and-resources/after-a-flood/
Cleaning up
Keep records and take photos of the damage before cleaning up and follow your insurers advice.
Anything that’s been exposed to floodwater will be contaminated, so careful steps should be taken to look after your health. However, many items will be salvageable and can be reused if appropriate clean up steps are taken.
Advice on drying out and cleaning items can be found here:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/flooding-and-health-advice-for-frontline-responders/how-to-recover-from-flooding
Recovering from a flood can be a very difficult time
If you have concerns about your own or others’ mental health, or your distress continues over an extended period, visit your GP or call NHS 111, who can help to identify further sources of support. Helplines, such as Samaritans, can provide support to anyone in emotional distress or struggling to cope. The Samaritans free helpline is available 24 hours a day on 116123.
www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health
Flood Warnings
Continue to check for any current or future flood warnings and sign up for flood warnings to get updates: www.gov.uk/flood
Flood warnings are issued for main river, sea and groundwater. The Flood Warning Service does not include surface water flooding. Sign up to the MetOffice National Severe Weather Warning Service via web or app to give you advance notice of heavy rainfall that could lead to surface water flooding.
You can also take these actions by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
Property Flood Resilience (PFR)
As part of repairs to your home you can make it more resilient to flooding by including PFR. PFR includes a range of measures that can be installed on a building to reduce the risk of floodwater entering the property. PFR can also be used to make the inside of a property more resilient (also known as recoverability) minimising damage even if water enters the building.
For more helpful information on PFR visit:
Who can you contact about flooding?
In an emergency, dial 999 if life is in danger.
Floodline 24-hours: 0345 9881188 or www.gov.uk/flood – For flood warnings and advice.
Environment Agency 24-hour incident hotline: 0800 807060 – Report flooding from main rivers, damage to river banks and blockages causing flood risk.
Your local council: www.gov.uk/find-local-council
Wessex Water: 0345 6004600 or www.wessexwater.co.uk – Customer contact number and to report sewage flooding.
National Flood Forum: 01299 403055 or nationalfloodforum.org.uk
Association of British Insurers: 0207 600 3333 or www.abi.org.uk
British Damage Management Association: 01858 414278 or bdma.org.uk/information-supportsector/for-property-owners/
Electricity supplier: 105 powercut
Gas supplier: 0800 111999 / 105 powercut
British Red Cross: 0344 871 1111 or www.redcross.org.uk
Samaritans: 020 8394 8300 or www.samaritans.org
Your community Flood Warden is a great source of information and advice.
For further information, you reach the Environment Agency on social media:
Facebook: @environmentagencywessex
X/Twitter: @EnvAgencySW
or via email: wessexenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk