Guidance
Personal Flood Plan
Are you signed up to receive flood warnings?
If not call the Emergency Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 to see if your area receives free flood warnings.
If you live in a flood risk area, do what you can now to prepare for a flood. Don’t wait until it happens; you may not have time.
The personal flood plan includes a list of things you should do (like moving sentimental items to safety), and provides space for you to note down important contact details such as your utility companies and insurance.
What can I do now?
- Put important documents out of flood risk and protect in polythene
- Check your insurance covers you for flooding
- Look at the best way of stopping floodwater entering your property
- Make a flood plan and prepare a flood kit
- Find out where you can get sandbags
- Identify who can help you/ who you can help
- Identify what you would need to take with you if you had to leave your home
- Understand the flood warning codes
Would you know what to do in a flood?
FLOOD ALERT - Prepare
- Prepare a bag that includes medicines and insurance documents
- Visit www.gov.uk/check‐flooding
FLOOD WARNING - Act
- Turn off gas, water and electricity
- Move things up stairs or to safety
- Move family, pets and car to safety
SEVERE FLOOD WARNING - Survive
- Call 999 if in immediate danger
- Follow advice from emergency services
- Keep yourself and your family safe
What can you do if a flood is expected in your area?
Prepare your
Home
- Move furniture and electrical items to safety
- Put flood boards, polythene and sandbags in place
- Make a list now of what you can move away from the risk
- Turn off electricity, water and gas supplies
- Roll up carpets and rugs
- Unless you have time to remove them hang curtains over rods
- Move sentimental items to safety
- Put important documents in polythene bags and move to safety
Prepare your
Garden & Outside
- Move your car out of the flood risk area
- Move any large or loose items or weigh them down
Prepare your
Business
- Move important documents, computers and stock
- Alert staff and request their help
- Farmers move animals and livestock to safety
Evacuation
Prepare a flood kit in advance
- Inform your family or friends that you may need to leave your home
- Get your flood kit together and include a torch, warm and waterproof clothing, water, food, medication, toys for children and pets, rubber gloves and wellingtons
Downloads
Prepare for a flood
If you live in a flood risk area, do what you can now to prepare for a flood. Don’t wait until it happens; you may not have time.
Download the short 3-point plan ‘Flood Warnings – know what to do?’ to find out what each level of flood warning means.
Download, print and fill in the PDF version of a personal flood plan on this page.
The personal flood plan includes a list of things you should do (like moving sentimental items to safety), and provides space for you to note down important contact details such as your utility companies and insurance.