Is your home at risk of flooding?
Find out if your home is at risk of flooding
Go to the Am I at risk of flooding? page on the Environment Agency website.
Preparations if your home is at risk of flooding
If you know you are at risk of flooding - where properties are near streams and rivers, or where there is historical evidence of the threat from rapidly rising water, householders can prepare in advance and should consider improving flood defence of openings. Many products can be installed in advance, then simply clipped on and off when needed - such as the 'flood board' or air brick cover.
Purpose-made flood boards for doors, windows and air bricks will be more successful than traditional sandbags for minimizing floodwater entering a property. They are available commercially, but can be easily made by someone with DIY knowledge. The Environment Agency has a number of useful publications - call on 08459 333 111.
Flood resistance for your home See the Envionment agency's webpages on Flood. Zurich Municipal in association with Gloucester County Council have produced an Emergency Flood Guide for Residents which also provides good advice on preparing for floods.
The
Council's waste contractor, Veolia is now stocking and selling the new
FloodSax (TM). These are supplied in vacuum shrunk wrapped packs of 5
at a cost, collected from the depot in Farnham of £35 incl. VAT. These
can be stored for up to 5 years, but can be deployed like a normal
sandbag by soaking in water for 4/5 minutes. Dry, a pack of 5 only
weighs 1kg. For further information see manufacturer's website: http://www.edslimited.co.uk/Products/FloodSax or contact Veolia on 01252 724157.
These
guides give practical advice on how to make your home more likely to
withstand the effects of flooding. Measures are often simple and do not
need technical knowledge.
In the event of the threat of imminent flooding, the Council will endeavour to assist by providing sandbags to those at extreme risk. This is unlikely to prevent flooding but may reduce the effect of the flood on individual properties. However - the responsibility to protect your property is that of the occupant, not the Council, so prevention work, however minor, before a potential flood is always preferable.
Other products to help prevent flood water from affecting your home or business are produced by Floodgate.
Page owner: Aaron Carter. Last updated: 14/12/2010 14:41