Preparing yourself for flooding incidents
Find out your flood risk and take some easy steps to protect your home and your possessions.
Is London at risk of flooding?
London is well protected from more predictable sources of flooding, such as tidal and river flooding due to the Environment Agency’s flood forecasting and flood warning systems and the operation and maintenance of its flood defences.
London’s flood defences include:
- the Thames Barrier
- around 400 smaller barriers and movable flood gates downstream of the Thames Barrier
- over 300 km of river walls and embankments stretching into Essex and Kent.
But there are several sources of unpredictable flooding, such as heavy rainfall, overwhelmed drainage and burst water pipes, which can cause damage to homes, disrupt transport, and even affect people's safety. The climate emergency means there will be more regular and intense periods of rainfall which will increase the likelihood of flood events.
You can check your surface water flood risk (as well as your risk of tidal or river flooding).
For surface water flooding, your best alert system is the Met Office's severe weather alerts system to let you know about forecast heavy rainfall:
- you can sign up to their email alerts
- you can download their android app
- you can download their Apple app.
The Environment Agency's flood warning system is for properties at risk of river, tidal or groundwater flooding. You can sign up online, call Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or follow @EnvAgency #floodaware on Twitter.
Prepare
There are lots of free or low-cost actions that we can all take to prepare for flooding, or help others prepare. Have your medicines and insurance documents to hand, for example. You can find out more about flood insurance.
The government has provided guidance and advice what to do in a flood. The actions you should follow are the same regardless of the type of flood risk you are facing.
Act
These are some of the things you'll need to think about and do if heavy rainfall is forecast or if you receive a flood warning.
Turn off gas, water and electricity
If you leave your home during a flood you’ll need to turn off your mains water, gas and electricity if it’s safe to do so. You should find out in advance how to do this.
The location of water stopcocks, gas shut-off valves and electrical master switches varies between properties. The gas shut-off valve is usually beside the meter. The mains electricity cut-off is usually a big red switch on your fuse box. If you can’t find your water stopcock, ask someone with practical experience or a plumber to help you.
Move things upstairs or to safety
Floods can destroy anything. Don't underestimate how important your possessions are to you. For example, family photographs may not be very expensive but they can be irreplaceable if they're destroyed by flood water. Think about moving items with sentimental value, as well as items you spent a lot of money on.
Move family and pets to safety
If you have access to the first floor or higher floor of your building, it may be safer to move yourself, your family and your pets upstairs.
During a flood you should only travel if you really have to. Flood waters can be very dangerous. Never drive through flood water. Vehicles can quickly become unstable in moving water. A foot (30cm) of moving water, moving at just 6 miles per hour, is enough to float a car. Two feet (60cm) of rushing water will carry most vehicles away. Always find an alternative route.
Who should you contact?
In rare cases, it may be necessary to leave your home and move to a place of safety. Please follow the advice of emergency services before leaving your home.
Your local council may have more instructions on what to do and where to go in an emergency. Your local council is your lead local flood authority for surface water flooding and may have further information and advice on their website.
Call 999 if in immediate danger
Emergency services can help you during an emergency.
Follow advice from emergency services
Emergency services are experienced at dealing with flood events and can give important advice to keep you and your family safe. It’s important to cooperate with the emergency services if you are told to evacuate your property.
If you are not in immediate danger, the best organisation to contact for advice depends on the type of flooding you're experiencing:
Look out for friends and neighbours
You should keep yourself and your family safe and avoid unnecessary risks.
You should only help others if it is safe to do so. In the event of a flood, always follow the advice of the emergency services.
However, if you think someone may be at risk or is especially vulnerable to the impacts of flooding please check in where it is safe to do so.
What is the Mayor doing to help?
Following the summer flash floods, the Mayor called together senior leaders from the Environment Agency, Thames Water, the London Resilience Partnership, London Fire Brigade and London’s boroughs – all those who have responsibility for responding to or managing flood risk – to ensure that everything possible is being done to reduce the impact of these extreme events on our city. Further meetings have taken place led by the Deputy Mayors for Fire and Resilience and Environment and Energy.
The funding and other issues to prepare for flooding are also being examined together with London Councils and the Environment. The Mayor also continues to lobby the Government to devolve more funding and powers to local leaders to enable us deal with both flooding and the wider impacts of climate change.
The Mayor is also:
- strengthening policies in the London Plan to reduce the risk of flooding and increase the resilience of new developments to flooding
- delivering the London Sustainable Drainage Action Plan to help reduce the risk of surface water flooding across the city
- developing sector-specific guidance on sustainable drainage covering schools, social housing and parks and green spaces
- funding local projects to support climate change adaptation and reduce flood risk through his Green New Deal Programmes including the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund and Grow Back Greener fund
- supporting Integrated Water Management Strategies across the city to ensure new developments consider the effects of flooding, sewer capacity and water scarcity
- helping Londoners to make the city greener, healthier and wilder, which will also help manage surface water flood risk
- working with Thames Water to reduce the risk and impact of burst water mains
- supporting the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan to protect London from future tidal flooding, for example as a result of rising sea levels.
You can also do your bit to help reduce the risk of flooding, encourage wildlife and support your wellbeing by changing just a part of your garden from grey to green. You can start small, even if you don’t have a garden of your own. Winter is the perfect time to plan changes to your garden.
If you already have a front garden keep it green. Paving over front gardens creates more impermeable surfaces which increase the risk of flooding.
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