Public urged to prepare for floods after wettest 18 months on record

The Environment Agency launches Flood Action Week next week to raise flood risk awareness. Following the wettest 18 months, residents are urged to sign up for warnings and prepare accordingly.

Environment Agency launches Flood Action Week to ensure every person knows their flood risk 

This Flood Action Week (14-20 October) follows the wettest 18 months on record, with the Met Office warning of another wet autumn and winter .

The public urged to sign up to flood warnings, making sure they have a flood plan and take simple steps to prepare. 

The Environment Agency is urging Devon and Cornwall communities to ensure they are prepared for a flood as the nation marks the annual ‘Flood Action Week’, which this year runs from 14-20 October. 

This year’s awareness campaign coincides with the one-year anniversary of Storm Babet, which brought significant flooding across the country. 

As climate change brings more extreme weather, there has already been flooding this autumn. This follows the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.   

This campaign is all about showing people that they can easily take a few steps to reduce the devastation caused by floods to their homes and businesses, with around 5.5 million properties in England at risk from flooding. Recent data suggests that nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks, making this campaign all the more important.  

The best way to protect yourself from flooding is early preparation and knowing what to do in advance. Some of the actions people can take to reduce the dangers are:    

Check your long-term flood risk. You can use this free service to find out the long-term flood risk for an area in England, the possible causes of flooding, and how to manage flood risk. 

Sign up for flood warnings by phone, text or email 

Take steps to protect yourself from future flooding – including storing important documents in a secure, waterproof location, taking rugs and small furniture upstairs, checking how to turn off your electricity and water, preparing a flood kit. 

Explore longer-term Property Flood Resilience measures (PFR) to protect homes and businesses. 

Ben Johnstone, Environment Agency Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Devon, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, said: “Our local teams train all year round to prepare for and respond to flooding. We are out on the ground, maintaining assets and engaging with communities to boost resilience. 

“However, we can never eliminate flood risk and the impacts of flooding entirely. That's why it’s crucial for individuals to take steps to prepare themselves – this Flood Action Week and beyond. Everyone has a part to play. 

“With more heavy rainfall and stormy seas expected this winter, it’s vital you follow the key actions to better protect yourself, your loved ones and your properties from flooding.”

During a flood, it is especially important that drivers take particular care on roads, stay away from swollen rivers and do not drive through flood water – just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.    

The impacts of flooding to mental health can be equally as harmful as the physical damage and disruption. People whose homes have been damaged by extreme weather are more likely to have poor mental health than the rest of the population.  

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said: “Flooding can be a destructive force that puts everything in life on hold. I’ve seen the impacts firsthand and am determined to ensure as much as possible others do not.  

“Through the recent launch of our Floods Resilience Taskforce, this government is taking decisive action to accelerate the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.  

“But this Flood Action Week, we must be all be proactive in taking steps to protect ourselves by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings.”  

Following the flooding caused by Storms Ciara and Dennis in 2020, it was estimated that the average insurance claim per household was £32,000.  

Flood Re is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers aiming to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable. Its Build Back Better initiative enables householders to install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their properties after a flood.  

Flood Re Interim CEO Stuart Logue said:  “One year on from Storm Babet and we are seeing yet more severe weather and flooding across the country, causing not only physical devastation to homes, but also placing a unique burden on the mental health and wellbeing of families who are affected.  

“This acts as a stark reminder of the importance of our Build Back Better scheme where householders can access up to £10,000 to build resilience into their homes when carrying our flood repairs.   

“Householders can find out which insurance providers are part of the scheme on our website by searching Flood Re Build Back Better.”