Have you ever considered the impact of flooding on your parish
council? Is your community or its residents at risk?
Want to find out what flood could mean to your parish council and
business continuity in your area as well as what actions need to be
taken?
The Environment Agency is running a flood action campaign in November 2015 and you could be a
part of it by simply following the below three steps
1. Check if your area is at risk so that you have plenty of time to plan beforehand. The
Environment Agency’s Flood Map is available online and you can view it by clicking here or
pasting/ typing this link in your browser http://goo.gl/2npemy
Alternatively you can also email to mailto:enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk to get the
flooding history of the land around a property. This is a free service.
You must include:



the property’s address
a map showing the property’s location
your address and phone number
2. Sign-up for free flood warnings for your area by visiting and registering yourself on the
Environment Agency’s Floodline Warnings Direct website by clicking here or pasting/ typing
this link in your browser https://fwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/register
Or call Floodline, which is a 24 hour service, if you’re in an area at risk.
Floodline
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
3. Know what to do when a flood happens for instance having a flood plan, improving your
area's flood protection or insurance. Environment Agency has prepared a comprehensive
guide for home and business owners to know what to do before, during and after a flood.
You can download the document by clicking here or pasting/typing this link in your browser
https://goo.gl/NtC9gH
Additionally make a written plan of how you’ll respond to a flood in an area at risk of
flooding. It should include how you’ll:


protect people
deal with hazardous equipment
1

reduce the risk from polluting materials
In order to improve flood protection for individual properties, the owners can do the
following



Ask a building surveyor, architect or other independent professional for advice on
permanent flood protection measures.
Use the flood protection advisor to find out how much it could cost to protect their
home.
Contact the Environment Agency if their plans will affect the flow of a river or will
divert flood water to other properties.
Environment Agency
enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Telephone: 03708 506 506
Minicom: 03702 422 549
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
In order to get insurance

Contact the National Flood Forum for advice on how to get insurance and reduce
the premium or excess.
National Flood Forum
Telephone: 01299 403 055

Contact the British Insurance Brokers’ Association to find a broker that specialises in
properties that are difficult to insure.
British Insurance Brokers’ Association
Telephone: 0370 950 1790
If you need help during a flood


Residents can ask their local Fire and Rescue Service for help pumping out water but
they may be charged a fee.
They may need an environmental permit to pump water from their property. Before
they do anything, they need to check with:
o
o
o

their local Environment Agency office if they want to pump water into rivers,
boreholes, ditches or watercourses
their water company if they want to pump water into public sewers
the local highways authority or Highways England if they want to pump
water into street drains, highways or highway ditches
Report a gas leak by contacting National Grid. Call them on 0800 111 999.
2

Contact your local electricity company to report an electrical hazard or a problem
with overhead electricity lines.
o Western Power: 0800 6783 105 (emergency information)

To report an overflowing drain or sewer, please contact the relevant water
company:
o Welsh Water: 0800 085 3968 (open 24 hours)
o Severn Trent Water: 0800 783 4444 (open 24 hours)

Contact your council for help getting temporary accommodation. Please call: 01432
260000
Contact Citizens Advice for help getting emergency money.
If you need to travel look at the latest weather forecast and road travel information
Dispose of used sandbags at your local civic amenity and recycling site. Sandbags
contaminated with hazardous substances, eg sewage, must be disposed of as
hazardous waste - contact your council environmental health team on 01432
261761 for advice.
Council tax rebates are available for homes that have been flooded and/or whose
septic tanks have been damaged by the winter severe weather events and cover
council tax for three months. To apply for a council tax rebate contact: 01432
260373
We are always looking to improve the way we respond to flooding within
Herefordshire. To keep our database up to date, please record any flooding you
have experienced by completing our online investigating flooding incidents form by
clicking here or pasting this link in your browser
https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/community-safety/emergencies/what-to-doafter-flooding/investigating-flood-incidents or contact the Emergency Planning
team: 01432 260000 or email them on: resilienceteam@herefordshire.gov.uk





END
3