Flood Warnings:

Actions to consider at a flood alert stage:

Flood Alert – Flooding to low-lying land and roads is possible. Stay vigilant and make early preparations for a potential flood. Prepare to act on your flood plan.

• Monitor the situation and check the forecast and river levels.
• Ensure you have access to your flood plan, flood kit and property flood resilience measures.
• Move or weigh down outside furniture and decorations if you know a storm or strong winds are expected.

Flood Warning – Flooding is expected. Immediate action is required to protect yourself and your property. Put your flood plan into action.

Actions to consider at a flood warning stage:

• Move valuable items and furniture upstairs or to safety.
• Deploy temporary property flood resilience measures – note where they are stored and how to install them.
• Prepare to evacuate in case severe flooding should occur.
• Ensure the safety of your family members and pets.

Severe Flood Warning – Severe flooding is expected. Significant risk to life and property. Prepare to evacuate and cooperate with emergency services. Evacuate.

At severe flood warning stage:

• Upon receiving a severe flood warning, you will need to evacuate your house and cooperate with advice from the emergency services.
• Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies if possible and safe to do so before you evacuate.

Preparing for Flooding

1. Understand Your Risk

• Check flood forecasts: Look ahead 5 days for flood risk via GOV.UK’s “Prepare for flooding” page.  
• Find long-term risk levels: Assess your vulnerability to flooding from rivers, the sea, surface water, groundwater and reservoirs.  
• Surface water flooding is rising fast: The Environment Agency reports that over 4.6 million properties in England are at risk, driven by climate change and insufficient drainage.  
• Future projections are more alarming: By mid‑century, up to 1 in 4 properties in England could be at risk, with numbers rising from 6.3 million to 8 million.  

2. Sign Up for Flood Warnings

• Floodline service: A free, 24/7 flood alert system operated by the Environment Agency (England), SEPA, and Natural Resources Wales. Sign up via phone, text, or email.  
• Understand the alerts: (See above)
  • Flood Alert: Be prepared.
  • Flood Warning: Take immediate action.
  • Severe Flood Warning: Danger to life—be ready to evacuate.  

3. Create a Flood Plan

• Personal or household plan: Include evacuation routes, essential contacts, and safe meeting points. Keep the plan with critical documents.  
• Local support mechanisms:
  • Wraysbury & Horton Resilience will give support to our registered vulnerable residents, our flood warden and his team, and RBWM Bronze Team, should they become involved providing critical support. Contact us on 07808 654321 or call 999 in an emergency.

4. Assemble an Emergency Flood Kit

• Include:
  • Your flood plan
  • Torch and spare batteries
  • Important papers (insurance, passports)
  • Warm, waterproof clothing
  • Medication and prescriptions
  • Spare keys
  • First aid kit
  • Extras: pet supplies, phone power bank, notepad, battery radio  
• Be ready to be self-sufficient for at least 3 days, especially during major emergencies. Include tinned food, bottled water (min. 3 L per person per day), power banks, hand sanitiser, and pet supplies.  

5. Flood-Proof Your Home

• Property Flood Resilience (PFR): Includes installing barriers, airbrick covers, non‑return valves, and raising utilities to limit damage and speed up recovery.  
• Understand roles and responsibilities:
  • Flood and Water Management Act 2010 created the role of Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA)—RBWM, are responsible for local flood strategy, assets, and public information.  
  • The Flood Forecasting Centre (a collaboration between the Environment Agency and Met Office) improves risk guidance for England and Wales.  

Coping During & After Flooding

1. During a Flood

• Act promptly: If water begins to enter, move to safety with family and pets. Turn off electricity, gas, and water only if safe.
• Avoid floodwater: Do not drive through it—even 30 cm can move a car. Water may hide hazards and carry contamination—keep children and pets away.  
• Report flooding:
  • River/coastal flooding: Call the Environment Agency’s 24-hour line: 0800 80 70 60 (with Type Talk: 0345 602 6340).  
  • Blocked drains or ordinary watercourses: Report to RBWM

2. Health & Clean-Up Safety

• Floodwater contamination includes: chemicals, sewage, heavy metals, pests. Clean carefully using safe methods and protective gear.  
• National Flood Forum (NFF) offers advice and support post-flood—especially around insurance, restoration, and community resilience.  

3. Insurance & Financial Support

• Check your insurance policy: see if it covers temporary accommodation, cleanup, and repairs.  
• Flood Re scheme: Makes insurance more affordable for homes in high‑risk areas.  

4. Learn from Experience

• Awareness of evolving risk: Many were caught unaware by sudden surface water flooding, even in areas without prior history.  
• Increase in risk to properties: Updated models show that more homes are becoming vulnerable to flooding due to climate change—plan accordingly.  
• Community voices after disasters: Stories from residents like Maureen Gilbert highlight the need for early warnings, stronger defences, and better support systems.  

Useful Resources & Links

Resource	Purpose
GOV.UK – Prepare for Flooding	Guidance on warnings, plans, and support tools
Floodline	Real-time alerts and instructions
National Flood Forum	Community-based advice and support
Environment Agency	PFR info and flood risk data
Met Office / Flood Forecasting Centre	Weather and flood prediction
Local Council RBWM	Local strategies, assets info, reporting routes

In Summary

Building flood resilience starts long before water arrives. Knowing your risks, putting plans in place, and using available resources can save lives and lessen damage. If flooding occurs, swift action, safe cleanup, and approaches rooted in planning and community support will help you recover faster.

Contact Wraysbury & Horton Resilience if you need help in planning for flooding. Once we are in flood, we can only support our most vulnerable residents, so you do need to plan ahead.