Further guidance
3 day outlook
- Monitor weather forecast (e.g. Met Office or BBC weather)
- Look out for further WhatsApp alerts
- Check and test Property Flood Resilience measures (e.g. flood gates)
- Check your emergency grab bag (bag of essentials, for tips see The Flood Hub or Personal flood plan guidance)
- Make sure phones / electronic communications are charged
- Visually check local drainage systems (road gullies) and watercourses if safe to do so. Report blockages to Devon County Council.
- Maintain personal safety (e.g. do not walk through flood water
12 hour forecast – medium risk
- Monitor weather forecast (e.g. Met Office or BBC weather)
- Look out for further WhatsApp alerts
- Be prepared to deploy Property Flood Resilience measures and block doorways and
airbricks if needed - Check your emergency grab bag (bag of essentials, for tips see The Flood Hub or Personal flood plan guidance)
- Make sure phones / electronic communications are kept topped up
- Monitor community flood cameras (if available)
- Maintain personal safety (e.g. do not walk through flood water
12 hour forecast – high risk
- Monitor weather forecast (e.g. Met Office or BBC weather)
- Look out for further WhatsApp alerts
- Deploy Property Flood Resilience measures – block doorways and airbricks as needed
- Keep your emergency grab bag handy (bag of essentials, for tips see The Flood Hub or Personal flood plan guidance)
- Turn off utilities if safe to do so
- Move vehicles to a safe location away from areas known to be at risk of flooding. Do not drive through flood water.
- Be prepared to move family and pets to safety
- Activate community plan (where this exists)
- Maintain personal safety (e.g. do not walk through flood water
Relevant support
The weeks and months after a flood can be intense and extremely stressful for everyone affected by flooding.
Flood and weather warnings
In addition to the surface water flood forecasting being developed through this project there are also flood warnings and alerts for river and tidal flooding available from the Environment Agency in some locations. It is also possible to sign up to email alerts from the Met Office for weather warnings in the south west:
Insurance
Flood Re is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers which is aimed at making the flood cover part of household insurance more affordable.
Immediately after a flood
- BeFloodReady’s website provides details of what you should do to check if a property is safe to return to and insurance considerations:
- The Devon County Council website provides details of how to report flooding.
Cleaning up your property safely after a flood
Details of how to clean up your property safely can be found on the GOV.UK website.
Mental health support
If you need emotional support, speak with family and friends, your doctor or an organisation like the Red Cross or the Samaritans. You can also contact your GP about stress and anxiety or call the NHS 111 by dialling 111. They’ll tell you about crisis support services. You can also find more information from Public Health England.
Grants
Devon County Council has established a Property Flood Resilience scheme to enable homeowners to apply for up to £5,000 to carry out a property survey identifying the required resilience measures and contribute towards purchasing the recommended measures.