Flooding: Are you at risk?

Winter is one of my favourite months. I love the chill in the air and even sometimes welcome the frost. What I don’t really like is the rain. But hey, we live in England and rain is pretty much a given.

In fact, while the trickle or drizzle is something of an everyday feature, we’ve also been having heavy rainfall in some areas.

I remember in the last couple of years where there was widespread flooding and many houses went under. I think it was last year where even London was flooded. Of course a lot has to do with the River Thames overflowing it’s banks because of the torrential downpours but I often wonder if we are prepared for severe flooding.

While we may have buildings and content insurance, I’m well aware that there are huge loopholes in the insurance terms and there could be things like flooding which are excluded.

So how do you prepare of a potential flood?

  1. Make sure you are aware of potential floods in your area. Follow the news and water warnings.
  2. If you are at risk, make sure you have sand bags ready. These help to block doorways and openings to your home as well as sinks, toilet and kitchen drains to avoid water backing up. You can also use them to weigh down furniture in the garden. Sand bags are good for short term solutions only though so you need to have other plans in place.
  3. Sewage pump – These are effective for removing excess ground water and keeps water at bay. Sometimes, when there is rain for a prolonged period, water tends to collect. A sewage pump is a good way to ensure that this doesn’t occur and is effective for removing waste water from the property.
  4. Plan for food – Always ensure that you have planned for food and you have enough food to last a few days for the family. Fresh water would also be a good idea.
  5. Shift all valuable furniture to higher ground. It may be a downright pain getting furniture from the ground floor to the first floor but it is a better solution than having it destroyed in the flood.

Of course, it is well worth your while to thoroughly check out a property before purchasing it to avoid having to take recourse to the above. Check and see if the house you like is within a flood area. Any low-lying area would be at risk and knowing before buying would help you the heartache at a later period.

Businesses have also lost loads of money due to floods – both in terms of goods and customers.

Flooding also harms tourist areas. I remember visiting the Cotswolds once to see it flooded and it was indeed sad to see it so. It just spoiled completely the natural beauty of the place. Plus we were unable to walk around and take in the sights and it made it such a wasted trips.

Have you ever been affected by flooding? What experience did you have?

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