🌊Flooding — Preparing, Responding and Recovering

Wraysbury and Horton have a long history of flooding.

We cannot prevent every flood, but good preparation can reduce damage, make an emergency easier to manage and help households recover more quickly.

Wraysbury & Horton Flood Teams monitor Environment Agency information, river levels, weather forecasts and local conditions. During periods of increased risk we may issue WHR Risk Updates to provide additional local information and advice based on updates from The Flood Forecasting Centre, a partnership between EA and Met Office) to give some advance guidance.

The best time to prepare for a flood is before one is forecast.

QUICK LINKS — What do you need now?

Warnings

⚠️ There’s a warning — what does it mean?

Understand the official Environment Agency Flood Alert, Flood Warning and Severe Flood Warning symbols.

Flooding Likely

🌊 Flooding now looks likely — what should I do locally?

Practical actions for Wraysbury and Horton, including moving vehicles, protecting your home and helping vulnerable neighbours.

Prepare

🏠 There’s no flood today — how can I prepare?

Make a household flood plan, prepare your home, assemble a flood kit, check insurance and decide what you will do next time flooding threatens.

Recovery

🧹 I’ve been flooded — what happens next?

Staying safe, contacting insurers, cleaning up, getting help and making your home more resilient for the future.

⚠️There’s a Warning — What Does It Mean?

The Environment Agency issues three types of official flood warning.

WHR Risk Updates may provide additional local information, but they do not replace Environment Agency warnings or instructions from the emergency services.

FLOOD ALERT

Flooding is possible — PREPARE

A Flood Alert means that flooding is possible.

This is the time to start making preparations, rather than simply waiting to see what happens.

Check the latest flood information and river levels.
Read the latest WHR Risk Update.
Locate your flood plan and flood kit.
Check flood doors, barriers, airbrick covers and other protection.
Have medicines and important documents readily available.
Start moving vulnerable or irreplaceable possessions if appropriate.
Consider whether your vehicle needs moving.
Check neighbours, relatives or friends who may need help.

Do the easy things early. They become much harder once roads begin to flood.

FLOOD WARNING

Flooding is expected — ACT NOW

Put your flood plan into action.

Protect yourself and your family first.
Move pets, vehicles and important belongings to safety.
Install your property flood-protection measures.
Move valuables and electrical equipment above likely flood level.
Have your flood kit ready.
Prepare for the possibility that you may need to leave your home.
Follow Environment Agency, emergency-service and WHR advice.
Help others where you can do so safely.

Do not wait for water to reach your property before acting.

SEVERE FLOOD WARNING

Danger to life — PROTECT PEOPLE

A Severe Flood Warning means flooding may present a danger to life and cause significant disruption.

Stay somewhere safe.
Be ready to evacuate immediately.
Follow instructions from the emergency services.
Do not enter floodwater to protect possessions or vehicles.
If trapped by rapidly rising water, move to higher ground or an upper floor if it is safe.
Call 999 if you or somebody else is in immediate danger.

At this stage people matter more than property.

Check current Environment Agency flood warnings

✅There’s No Flood Today — What Can I Do to Prepare?

This is probably the most important part of this page.

Community resilience starts before there is a flood.

A household that knows its flood risk, knows what it will do, has basic supplies available and has considered how to protect its property is much better placed to cope when conditions change.

WHR would much rather help residents prepare now than meet them for the first time during an emergency.

1. Understand Your Own Flood Risk

Do not assume that because your property has not flooded before it cannot flood.

Flooding may come from:

rivers
surface water following intense rainfall
groundwater
drains and sewers
a combination of different sources.

Check the Environment Agency’s assessment for your address:

Check your long-term flood risk

You can also check current river levels and the forecast for the next five days:

Check for flooding

Knowing your risk helps you decide how much preparation is appropriate for your household and property.

2. Sign Up for Free Flood Warnings

Do not rely on Facebook, neighbours or WHR being the first people to tell you there is a problem.

The Environment Agency provides free flood warnings by:

text
telephone
email.

Floodline: 0345 988 1188

If you need additional help because of disability or another need, Floodline can also arrange for warnings to be sent to a friend or relative.

Please still follow WHR Risk Updates during developing local incidents, as these may provide additional information specifically relevant to Wraysbury and Horton.

3. Make a Household Flood Plan

Every household at flood risk should have a simple plan.

It does not need to be complicated, but everyone in the household should know:

What will we do? Where will we go? What will we take? Who might need help?

The Environment Agency provides a Personal Flood Plan which you can complete and keep somewhere accessible.

Download the Environment Agency Personal Flood Plan

Who needs to be considered?

Think about everyone in your household:

adults
children
older or frail people
anyone with reduced mobility
anyone who relies on carers
anyone requiring medical equipment
pets.

If somebody would need assistance leaving the property, decide how that would happen and who could help.

Do not wait until an emergency to discover that somebody cannot manage stairs, reach an evacuation point or travel without specialist help.

Where would you go?

Decide where you could stay if you had to leave home.

Possibilities might include:

family
friends
somewhere outside the likely flood area
temporary accommodation arranged through your insurer
accommodation or an emergency centre advised by the authorities.

Have more than one option if possible.

Agree a meeting point in case household members are separated when flooding develops.

How would you get there?

Think about:

which local roads normally flood
alternative routes
whether you would need your car
whether someone requires accessible transport
what you would do if your car had already been moved to safer parking.

Your usual route may not be available during a flood.

Never plan an escape route that requires travelling through floodwater.

What will you take?

Decide in advance what is essential.

Priority should be given to:

people
pets
essential medicines
phones
chargers and power banks
important documents
essential medical equipment
keys
your flood kit.

Furniture and replaceable possessions come afterwards.

What will you move upstairs or to safety?

Make a simple priority list before you need it.

Consider:

photographs
sentimental and irreplaceable possessions
computers and electronic equipment
important documents
medicines
valuables
anything stored in low cupboards or drawers.

Doing this early may substantially reduce the impact of flooding.

Where will you move your car?

Decide this before flooding occurs.

WHR’s suggested temporary parking locations are listed in the incident section below.

Remember that other residents will be trying to move vehicles at the same time and suitable spaces are limited.

Who will you contact?

Keep important telephone numbers in your phone and written down.

Consider including:

relatives
neighbours
your home insurer
utility companies
Environment Agency Floodline
WHR.

Keep your phone charged and have a charged power bank available.

4. Prepare a Flood / Emergency Kit

Keep essential items somewhere you can reach quickly.

Consider including:

your flood plan
essential medicines and prescriptions
first-aid kit
torch
spare batteries
charged power banks
mobile-phone chargers
important documents
insurance details
spare house and car keys
warm and waterproof clothing
bottled water
food that does not need cooking
toiletries
hand sanitiser
notebook and pen
battery radio if you have one
glasses or contact-lens supplies
baby supplies where needed
pet food, leads, carriers and medicines.

It is sensible to prepare your household to cope with disruption to normal services for at least three days.

Keep the kit practical. A huge box that nobody can carry is not a useful grab bag.

For wider emergency-preparedness advice:

UK Government — Prepare

5. Medicines and Medical Needs

If somebody in your household takes regular medicines:

keep an adequate supply available
maintain an up-to-date list of medicines and doses
store important medicines somewhere accessible and above likely flood level
include essential medicines in your flood kit.

Think particularly about medicines requiring refrigeration and electrical medical equipment that could be affected by a power cut.

Do not leave these decisions until evacuation becomes necessary.

6. Protect Important Documents and Information

Floodwater can destroy documents quickly.

Consider keeping important papers:

upstairs
in a watertight container
and/or securely backed up electronically.

This might include:

passports
insurance documents
driving licences
medical information
financial and legal documents
contact details.

It can also be useful to have photographs showing the normal condition of rooms and valuable possessions for insurance purposes.

7. Make Your Home More Flood Resilient

There are two broad approaches to Property Flood Resilience:

Resistance

Measures intended to reduce or delay water entering the building.

Examples include:

flood doors
removable barriers
airbrick covers
non-return valves.

Resilience

Measures intended to reduce the damage and make the property easier to recover if water does enter.

Examples can include:

raising electrical sockets
locating vulnerable equipment higher
flood-resilient flooring
suitable wall finishes
flood-resilient kitchen units.

The appropriate measures vary considerably between properties.

WHR can help residents understand the options and point you towards appropriate specialist information.

The National Flood Forum also provides independent information for people at risk of flooding:

National Flood Forum — Preparing for Flooding

Drains, Toilets and Sewage

Some local properties may experience drains backing up during flooding.

Depending on your property and previous experience, useful measures may include:

non-return valves
a suitable toilet bung
having a camping/emergency toilet available.

If you know this has been a problem at your property previously, prepare for it before the next flood.

Please speak to WHR if you need help finding further information about Property Flood Resilience measures.

8. Know How to Isolate Your Utilities

Know where you can safely turn off:

electricity
gas
water.

It is much easier to learn this now than when water is entering your property.

Never touch electrical switches or equipment while standing in water.

9. Think About Your Insurance Now

Do not discover what your insurance covers after you have been flooded.

Check:

your insurer and policy number
your emergency claims telephone number
your flood cover
whether alternative accommodation is included
any excess applying to flood claims
whether your policy includes Build Back Better.

Flood Re’s Build Back Better scheme allows participating insurers to provide up to £10,000 towards Property Flood Resilience measures, above the cost of repairing flood damage, on eligible claims.

Flood Re — Build Back Better

It is worth asking about Build Back Better when choosing or renewing your home insurance, rather than waiting until you need to make a claim.

10. Prepare Your Garden, Garage and Outbuildings

Before flooding or severe weather:

secure garden furniture
move loose items
move tools and valuable equipment above likely flood levels
safely store chemicals, fuel and garden products
secure bins and other items that could float away.

Floating objects can cause damage and may obstruct drains or watercourses.

11. Think About Your Neighbours

Community resilience means looking beyond your own front door.

Think about neighbours, relatives or friends who may:

live alone
have reduced mobility
have significant health conditions
have sight or hearing difficulties
depend upon carers
not use smartphones or social media
have difficulty understanding or acting on warnings.

A Flood Alert is a good time to check that they know what is happening and have what they need.

WHR maintains arrangements to support our registered vulnerable residents during significant incidents.

However, once an emergency develops our resources inevitably become limited and priority must be given to those who are most vulnerable.

Preparing and helping each other beforehand makes the whole community more resilient.

🌊Flooding Now Looks Likely — Here’s What to Do Locally

When WHR or the Environment Agency indicates that flooding is becoming increasingly likely, start putting your preparations into action.

Do not wait until there is water outside your house.

1. Follow the Situation

Monitor:

Environment Agency Flood Alerts and Warnings
river levels
Met Office warnings
WHR Risk Updates.

Conditions can change, so make sure you are reading the latest information.

Check current flood information

2. Put Your Flood Plan Into Action

If you have prepared beforehand, now is the time to use that plan.

Tell everyone in your household what is happening.
Charge phones and power banks.
Have medicines and your flood kit ready.
Move important items.
Deploy appropriate flood protection.
Check anyone who may need help.
Consider whether vulnerable household members should leave early.

3. Move Your Car Early

Cars are frequently damaged because owners wait too long before moving them.

Once water is crossing a road it may already be too late to move safely.

WHR suggests that the following locations may be suitable for temporary flood parking, depending upon the particular incident:

High Street

Staines Road – On the verge

Waylands

Welley Road – On the verge

Windsor Road – One side only, please

These locations cannot be guaranteed to remain flood-free. Every flood is different.

Continue to follow WHR Risk Updates because the suitability of individual areas may change.

Please Park Responsibly

When moving your vehicle:

do not obstruct driveways
do not block junctions
do not prevent residents getting out
leave sufficient space for emergency vehicles
never obstruct fire-engine access.

Parking space is limited.

Please don’t leave moving your car until the last minute.

IMPORTANT — Leave Your Phone Number in the Windscreen

If you use temporary flood parking, please leave a mobile telephone number clearly visible inside the windscreen.

For example:

FLOOD PARKING

CONTACT: 07xxx xxxxxx

This allows WHR or others managing the incident to contact you if:

the parking area itself becomes vulnerable to flooding
your vehicle needs moving
emergency access is required
there is another problem involving the vehicle.

You only need to display a telephone number.

Do not display your home address or other unnecessary personal information.

4. Protect Your Property

While it remains safe:

fit flood barriers or flood doors
fit airbrick covers
use toilet bungs or other appropriate measures
move valuables upstairs
raise electrical equipment
move sentimental items
secure outside possessions.

Make sure that protecting property never becomes more important than protecting yourself.

5. Consider Leaving Early

If you or somebody in your household is:

frail
disabled
significantly unwell
dependent upon medical equipment
likely to struggle with an evacuation

consider whether it would be safer to leave before conditions become difficult.

The same may apply to households with babies, very young children or animals that would be difficult to move.

Early evacuation is usually much easier than leaving once roads are flooded.

6. Stay Out of Floodwater

Never assume water is safe because it looks shallow or still.

Floodwater may contain:

sewage
chemicals
oil and fuel
sharp objects
displaced drain or manhole covers
hidden holes
debris.

Keep children and pets away from it.

7. Never Drive Through Floodwater

If you encounter a flooded road:

TURN AROUND.

Do not drive through merely because another vehicle has done so.

Floodwater can:

be much deeper than it appears
conceal damaged road surfaces
hide open drains
damage your vehicle
move or strand a vehicle.

Do not create an emergency requiring somebody else to rescue you.

8. If Water Starts Entering Your Home

People come first.

Move everyone to safety.
Move pets with you.
Move upstairs or to higher ground if appropriate.
Turn off utilities only if it is safe to do so.
Do not touch electrical equipment while standing in water.
Follow emergency-service instructions.

Call 999 if anybody is in immediate danger.

9. Reporting Flooding

River flooding or a serious Environment Agency incident

Environment Agency Incident Hotline: 0800 80 70 60

24 hours a day.

Blocked drains, highways or other locally managed flooding

Use the appropriate Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead reporting service.

Immediate danger to life

999

😢I’ve Been Flooded — What Happens Next?

Flooding does not finish when the water disappears.

Recovery can take time, and buildings, electricity, gas supplies and possessions may still present hazards.

Do not rush back into a damaged property simply because the water has gone down.

1. Make Sure It Is Safe

If you evacuated, return only when it is safe.

Be alert for:

structural damage
contaminated water
electrical hazards
gas leaks
displaced drain covers
sharp objects and debris.

Do not use electrical appliances that have been affected by floodwater until appropriately checked.

2. Contact Your Insurer

Contact your home insurer as soon as reasonably practical.

Before cleaning or throwing things away:

take photographs
take video if useful
record the floodwater level
photograph damaged possessions
make a list of damaged items.

Speak to your insurer before disposing of damaged possessions or arranging major repair work, unless something must be removed immediately for safety reasons.

Ask about:

emergency accommodation
drying and cleaning
repairs
damaged contents
your excess
Property Flood Resilience
Build Back Better, if your policy provides it.

3. Protect Your Health During Clean-Up

Floodwater may contain sewage, chemicals and harmful organisms.

When cleaning:

wear waterproof gloves
wear suitable boots
cover cuts and grazes
wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water
keep children away from contaminated areas.

Do not eat food that has been in contact with floodwater.

Seek medical advice if you become unwell or have concerns following exposure.

4. Drying and Repairing Your Home

Flooded properties can take considerable time to dry properly.

Follow advice from:

your insurer
loss adjuster
appropriately qualified contractors.

Avoid rushing cosmetic repairs before the building has dried adequately.

When repairs are being planned, consider whether the opportunity can be used to make the property more resilient to the next flood.

This can reduce future damage and potentially make recovery much quicker.

5. Get Independent Support

The National Flood Forum is a charity specialising in helping people and communities affected by flooding.

It provides practical information covering:

preparing for flooding
what to do during flooding
recovery
insurance
Property Flood Resilience.

National Flood Forum

National Flood Forum Helpline: 01299 403 055

6. Look After Yourself Too

Being flooded can be frightening, exhausting and upsetting.

The practical work of insurance claims, temporary accommodation, drying a house and replacing possessions may continue for months.

It is also common for subsequent heavy rain or flood warnings to cause anxiety.

Talk to:

family and friends
neighbours
WHR
your GP if you are struggling.

Recovering emotionally is part of recovering from a flood.

7. Learn From What Happened

Once the immediate recovery is over, review your flood plan.

Ask:

What worked well?
What did we wish we had prepared?
Did we receive warnings early enough?
Did everybody know what to do?
Was our flood kit useful?
Were our flood barriers effective?
Did our car move early enough?
What was damaged that could be moved or protected next time?

Use what you learned to make your household more resilient.

📚Useful Flooding Resources

Environment Agency — Current Flood Information

Current Flood Alerts and Warnings, river levels and five-day outlook.

Check for flooding

Environment Agency — Flood Warnings

Environment Agency — Personal Flood Plan

A downloadable household flood-plan template.

Create your Personal Flood Plan

UK Government — Prepare

General household emergency-preparedness guidance.

Prepare for emergencies

National Flood Forum

Independent specialist help for people at risk of or affected by flooding.

National Flood Forum

Flood Re

Information on flood insurance, Property Flood Resilience and Build Back Better.

Flood Re

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Local authority information and reporting services.

RBWM

Wraysbury & Horton Resilience — We’re Here to Help You Prepare

Please don’t wait until we’re in flood to ask for help.

WHR can help residents find information about:

understanding local flood risk
making a household flood plan
signing up for flood warnings
assembling a flood kit
planning where to move vehicles
Property Flood Resilience measures
preparing for older or vulnerable household members.

WHR: 07808 654321

During a significant flood our resources will inevitably be limited, and priority must be given to our most vulnerable residents.

Preparing beforehand protects you, helps your neighbours and makes the whole community more resilient.

WHR – Here to help you.

Remember

FLOOD ALERT

Prepare.

FLOOD WARNING

Act now.

SEVERE FLOOD WARNING

Protect life.

Building flood resilience starts long before the water arrives

Wraysbury & Horton Resilience – Supporting the community