Cabinet Office UK Resilience

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Flooding

Information and Guidance for the Public:

• Environment Agency Flood advice guides
  • Preparing for a flood guide [External PDF] - Practical advice on what to do to protect you and your property
  • During a flood guide [External PDF] - Practical advice on what to do to stay safe in a flood.
  • After a flood guide [External PDF] - Practical advice on recovering from a flood

• Environment Agency: current flooding situation [External website] - The National Summary for England and Wales, searchable by area, town name, post code, and river name.
• Health Protection Agency [External website] - Gives advice on looking after your health if you've been flooded.
• Flood Support microsite [External website] - Includes a flood simulator, case studies, flood support fact sheets and a FAQ.
• Am I at risk of flooding? [External website] - Environment Agency flood map to assess flood risk by postcode.
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency - Flood map: Could the area where you live be affected by flooding? [External website]
• Installing Flood Defences [External website] - Help and advice on flood defence products.
• What to do if a flood happens [External website] - Staying safe in a flood.
• Online Flood Library [External website] - All the Environment Agency's flood literature in one place.
• ABI - Association of British Insurers - Flooding and Insurance [External website]
• CIRIA - Construction Industry Research Information Association [External website] - Repair and restoration of buildings following floods.

Travel Advice

• National Rail [External website] - Travel Disruption listed by Train Operating Companies
• Highways Agency [External website] - Travel Information for Road Users

Advice from the Environment Agency  – When you hear a flood warning...

• Listen out for warnings on radio and TV and phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for more information.
• Move pets, vehicles, valuables and other items to safety.
• Alert your neighbours, particularly the elderly.
• Put sandbags or flood boards in place - but make sure your property is ventilated.
• Plug sinks/baths and put a sandbag in the toilet bowl to prevent backflow.
• Be ready to turn off gas and electricity (get help if needed). Unplug electrical items and move them upstairs if possible.
• Co-operate with emergency services and local authorities - you may be evacuated to a rest centre.
• Do as much as you can in daylight. Doing anything in the dark will be a lot harder, especially if the electricity fails.

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Government Planning and Response:

• In his statement to Parliament following the publication of the Pitt Review: Lessons learned from the 2007 floods, the Secretary of State for The Environment, Food and rural Affairs said that the Government would produce an outline of a National Flood Emergency Framework [External website] by the end of July 2008. That outline was published on 30 July 2008. The outline is a first step towards meeting the Government's commitment to produce a draft Framework for consultation by the end of 2008, as part of a major programme to improve preparedness for severe flooding.
• The Pitt Review - Learning Lessons from the 2007 floods - This review, which is being led by the Cabinet Office, will study the emergency response to the floods in June and July 2007 and look at ways to reduce the risk and impact of flooding in future. Sir Michael Pitt, the independent chair overseeing the review, welcomes comments, ideas and suggestions from all sections of the community regarding the review, as well as feedback on the experiences of those affected by the floods. The Pitt Review - Learning Lessons from the 2007 floods
• The Pitt Review: Learning lessons from the 2007 floods - Interim Report
• Environment Secretary's Statement to Parliament - 23rd July 2007 [External website]
• The Environment Agency [External website] is the lead for flooding and drought in England and Wales, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency [External website].
• Defra: What's New in Flood Management [External website] all the latest news from Defra on flood management.
• Environment Agency: Managing Flood Risk [External website] with information on what makes a flood happen, managing flood water, forecasting and warning, when a flood happens, and into the future - climate change, new technology and training

Advice for Local Authorities, Businesses and Organisations

• Developing a Multi-Agency Flood Plan (MAFP) - Guidance for Local Resilience Forums and Emergency Planners [PDF 47 pages, 736KB]
• DCLG - Planning for Flood Risk: The Facts [External website] - Guidance for improving the flood resistance of domestic and small business properties.
• Flood preparation guide for business [External website] - This guide will give you valuable information on developing your own flood plan, and how to be better prepared in the event of a flood situation.
• MAGIC - Coastal and Marine Resource Atlas [External website] A new tool for maritime contingency planning and response.

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Further Information

For more background information, go to the Severe Weather and Flooding section of this site.

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