Flooding and extreme weather | The Almshouse Association

With warmer and wetter winters expected together with more extreme events such as heavy rainfall, the UK is seeing more flooding events like the recent Storm Henk in January.

We would, therefore, urge members to review and update their Disaster Recovery Plan which includes an Emergency Plan, Evacuation Procedure and Recovery Plan.

A template is available on The Almshouse Association website in Model Policies and Templates here.

To assist this, we have outlined below some recommended information websites for identifying flood risk areas, actions to take before, during and after flooding, together with measures that could be taken to mitigate the impact of future floods.

Government Flooding web section: https://www.gov.uk/browse/environment-countryside/flooding-extreme-weather
Check if you are in a long-term flood risk area: https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
Sign up for Flood Warnings: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
What to do before or during a flood: https://www.gov.uk/help-during-flood
Environment Agency: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency
National Flooding Forum: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/
NFF, Protecting your Property: https://nationalfloodforum.org.uk/about-flooding/reducing-your-risk/protecting-your-property/
The Flood Hub (North West England, but has useful country-wide information in the knowledge hub):
https://thefloodhub.co.uk/knowledge-hub/

If you are in a flood risk area, you need to establish the Lead Local Authority (usually Unitary or County Council) to contact.

The Environment Agency is responsible for main rivers, reservoirs, estuaries and the sea.
The Canal & River Trust owns our canals and navigable rivers.

Making contact with local businesses, landowners and community groups in affected areas is also sensible. Many local communities at risk of flooding are advised to prepare a resilience plan, which could include vulnerable and older residents. Often the resilience plan has two settings – stand by and activation – as not all flood alerts lead to flooding but it allows residents to be prepared.

Local authorities advise those at risk of flooding to take proactive steps to protect their property, such as flood protection measures or retaining a stock of sand/sandbags. It is also worth noting that if sandbags have been used in a flooded area, they may be contaminated by sewage so should not be retained after use.

In addition to natural flood risks from rivers and the sea, members should also consider what to do in the event of flooding, even outside a flood risk area as the result of a “flash flood” or burst mains water pipe. Even small water pipes can cause serious damage and require evacuation of residents if left unattended. Please do review and update your Disaster Recovery Plan to consider Flooding.

posted 15 January 2024