After flooding again impacted local residents and businesses this week, the Lancashire Resilience Forum, a partnership of member agencies, re-released information about support and advice available on its website, lancashireprepared.org.uk.
Last year, research by Lancaster University partnership with National Emergencies Trust looked at ways to improve support for those affected by flooding in the UK. Its report, Stories After the Storm, uncovered the real experiences of people rebuilding their lives after floods, highlighting where support is working, and where it isn’t , offering clear insights into how recovery systems can be improved for future flood survivors. For some local residents this week, it seems some local agencies might benefit from revisiting their findings.
The aim of the Forum is to build a more resilient Lancashire, working with blue light services, councils and major companies to help residents, communities, and businesses plan, prepare, respond to and recover from emergencies together.
Over the last few years, flooding caused by extreme rainfall has become a bigger issue in Lancashire, and across the country. Heavy rain has had a devastating impact where people have had to leave their homes and seen valuables destroyed by flood water. Last year, data from Environment Agency showed that 6.3 million properties across England are at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
Support for Residents: Be Prepared
One in six properties in England are at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water. Lancashire is particularly susceptible to natural flooding hazards due to its varied geography, covering rural land, dense urban areas, coastal stretches, lowlands and uplands. Climate change is increasing the risk of flooding to both coastal and inland communities.
“Flooding can cause significant damage to communities and the economy,” they note. The average cost of flooding to a home is around £30,000 and to a business £82,000. The effects on mental health can last for months and even years. Environmental impacts include pollution, harm to livestock and wildlife, and destruction of habitats. Disruption to power supplies and transport networks is a risk and in the most severe cases, floods can cause injury and death.”
The Environment Agency helps keep the public informed by issuing flood alerts and warnings based on river and sea levels.
- Know your flood risk. Check GOV.UK or call the Environment Agency’s Floodline on 0345 988 1188
- Sign up for free flood alerts and warnings from the Environment Agency or call Floodline on 0345 988 1188
- If your home or business is located in a flood risk area, visit The Flood Hub for support in creating flood plans for your household, business and community.
- Prepare an emergency pack and keep it within easy reach if needed. There’s information about what you should include here on the National Flood Forum website
- The Environment Agency recommends installing Property Flood Resilience products in advance of flooding, such as flood gates. There’s more information about these on the National Flood Forum website here
- Protect your property with flood defence products such as flood doors, flood boards and airbrick covers. The National Flood Forum’s independent directory of flood protection products and services – Blue Pages – can help you select what you need
- Keep drains and gutters clear of leaves. If you notice drains on your road are blocking up, report it to Lancashire County Council (the City Council is not responsible for this which has confused many residents), and, outside our area, Blackburn With Darwen Borough Council, or Blackpool Council
- Know how to turn off your water, gas and electricity. You can visit powercut105.com or call 105 to report or get information about power cuts in your local area
- Stock up on sandbags from your local DIY store and keep them in a shed or garage. Please note, Lancashire County Council does not, apparently, provide sandbags, contrary to information on its own website
- Make sure your insurance covers flooding
- Join a flood action group, a voluntary group of local residents who work on behalf of their community to try and reduce the impact of future flood events and take action during an incident. This page on The Flood Hub website has more information on these
- If you are likely to need extra support during disruption to power or water supplies, register with United Utilities and Electricity North West for priority services. Priority Service registers and Extra Care Registers are used by United Utilities and Electricity North West to help those across the North West who may need extra support due to issues such as age, ill health, mental health problems, language barriers or financial worries.
The services are free of charge and provide extra assistance during a power cut or when there is a disruption to water supplies. - Sign up with lancashireprepared to receive alerts and information about risks in your area
- Keep any watercourses you are responsible for clear to assist drainage, which this government website page explains here
- Follow #lancsalert on social media
Full details about Being Prepared, What to Do During an Incident and After an Incident at lancashireprepared.org.uk/protect-yourself/flooding
• Download a copy of Property Flood Resilience Booklet on The Flood Hub website
Support for Business
This is more general advice, encompassing not only flooding but other risks, too.
If you run a business in Lancashire, it is crucial that you are aware of the local, regional and national risks that could disrupt your operations. A disaster such as flooding, power outage, cyber-attack or supply chain issue could strike at any time. Therefore business-owners and managers should assess how they can be prepared for all eventualities and put a plan in place. Without sufficient preparation, many businesses would struggle to overcome the effects of a disruptive event.
Carrying out a risk knowledge assessment and planning for the worst-case scenario will help your company ride the storm, limiting damage where possible, and ensuring you have a recovery strategy ready. This forms the basis of a Business Continuity Plan (PDF Link), providing a strategy for prevention and recovery from potential threats to a company.
• Find out and understand the risks to your business in the county, and nationally.
• Think about what can be done to lessen the risk, for example use more than one supplier, choose secure passwords
Produce and maintain an up-to-date Business Continuity Plan, including details such as:
• How to stay informed if something happens
• What your business-critical resources are
• How to communicate to your staff and customers about the issues you are facing
Once you have a robust plan in place, practice what would happen if you needed to activate it, including ensuring it’s accessible away from the office.
• Download a Business Continuity Plan Template (PDF Link)
• The Flood Hub has specific flood-related information for businesses
More Resources
The Environment Agency provides useful information on flooding, tools to find out if you are at risk of flooding, and how to sign up for flood warnings
A charity to help, support and represent people affected by flooding. Since 2002, the National Flood Forum has supported individuals and communities across the UK who are at risk of flooding
Supporting communities to manage flood and coastal risk across the North West
• Lancashire County Council: Flooding in Lancashire
Links about Lancashire County Council’s role in investigating flood incidents and the results of these investigations, how ordinary watercourses are regulated in Lancashire, and its Flood Support resources
• United Utilities
You can register for the United Utilities Priority Services online by clicking here. Or alternatively, you can call them any time on 0345 072 6093. You don’t have to be the named bill payer to benefit from Priority Services. For more information on United Utilities Priority service, click here
• Being prepared for a power cut
Electricity North West can provide help and advice
Registering for the Electricity North West Extra Care Register involves filling in a form online which can be done by clicking here
• Business_Continuity_Managment_Toolkit.pdf
The Business Continuity Management Toolkit is an HM Government guide
Stories After The Storms: We’re Better Prepared, But Lessons Still Need to be Learned
Last year, a research project conducted by Lancaster University in partnership with National Emergencies Trust looked at ways to improve support for those affected by flooding in the UK.
Thanks to the more than one hundred flood survivors and UK organisations that help flood-affected communities, who took part in the Stories After The Storms research, there’s now a better understanding of how we can better support those impacted by flooding in the UK in the future, but there still more to do.
Stories After the Storms uncovered the real experiences of people rebuilding their lives after floods across the UK. The report highlights where support is working – and where it isn’t – offering clear insights into how recovery systems can be improved for future flood survivors.
The report highlights their experiences and reveals five ways that we can together improve support for those affected by flooding in the future…
• Information is support: provide a clear path forward – survivors say having a local contact, clear checklist and proactive signposting would make a crucial difference
• Financial shock is immediate: support must be too – quick access to emergency cash would help families cover essentials costs and reduce debt
• Close the gaps: design recovery for everyone – systems should be simplified, proactive, and designed with lived experience in mind to ensure no-one is left behind
• Hidden impacts: make mental health part of recovery – mental health is often overlooked, emotional care must be embedded in recovery from the outset
• More resilient together: resource community recovery – communities are powerful but under-resourced. Local action groups and informal networks need recognition and resources to sustain this resilience
• National Emergencies Trust: Stories After the Storms Full Report (PDF Link)