Water, Water Everywhere

How to deal with flood damage in your house

Image by LucyKaef from Pixabay

Flooding in the UK is becoming more common than ever before on the back of climate change, with the Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit warning in 2020 that the UK is not prepared for the increased risk.

If you live in an area that’s affected by flood risk, then it’s important to know what to do if your home is hit. Read on to learn how to protect your property and ensure your welfare.

Prepare the right way

The best defence against flood damage is to be alert and well prepared. Understand where local watercourses are and how significant floodwaters would need to be to threaten your property. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and be aware of live flood warnings in your area.

If you do live in an area at risk, then invest in a supply of sandbags or install flood gates so you have a first line of defence that can spring into action if the storm clouds gather. Clothing like wellington boots and wader trousers are also good to have to hand. Check your home insurance too – some policies don’t cover flood.

First steps

Whether it’s due to a burst water main or flash flooding, it’s important you act quickly. Make sure to protect your family’s safety, by turning off the electricity at the main fuse box.

See if you can stop the water at the source. If the flood is occurring outside, this won’t be possible, but if the culprit is a component indoors that’s broken, then you can probably turn off the water at the stopcock and hopefully prevent further damage.

Move your belongings upstairs or into the loft and wear protective clothing so you’re safe from polluted or potentially unclean floodwaters.

The aftermath

Once the waters have receded and the clean-up has begun, it’s important to contact your insurer and begin a claim. For items which aren’t covered by your insurance, it may be worth looking into payday loans to cover your costs in the meantime. Just be sure that you can afford the cost before making a commitment.

Experiencing a flood is one of the worst things that can happen to homeowners, but with the steps above, you can overcome the problem and protect your property in the future. Do you live in an area of flood risk? Let us know how you are preparing in the comments section below.