Advice for those at risk of flooding due to recent heavy rainfall

With the heavy rain continuing today we thought it would be helpful to share some information about flooding, and what to do, if you are affected by floodwater.

Yesterday, Monday, 18 September, our crews were called out to nine incidents involving flooding.

These ranged from flooding inside properties, to helping those trapped in cars because of flood water.

The areas affected included the Snainton and Scalby, areas of Scarborough.

When attending the flooded properties, crews isolated electrics and assisted with pumping out water. On one occasion, the crews helped the occupier lay sandbags to minimise floodwater.

At around 8.40am we were called to Barmoor Lane, Scalby after a person became stuck in their car due to floodwater. North Yorkshire Police attended the area to assist with road closures to prevent further road users becoming stuck.

Flooding can be a scary experience, whether it is the first time your property has been flooded, or even if it has happened before. This is why we wanted to provide you with some helpful advice and information, which may help you prepare, if your home is liable to flooding.

First of all, it is always a good idea to check how high the risk from flooding is to your property. Even if you have lived in the home for several years, this could potentially change. This can be done on the Government website, here: Flood map for planning – GOV.UK (flood-map-for-planning.service.gov.uk)

There is a lot of helpful toolkits and checklists available on the Flood Hub website to, which can be found at www.thefloodhub.co.uk

Some important points to consider, are:

• Create a household flood plan (a template can be found on the Flood Hub website)
• Sign up to receive flood alerts and warnings
• Investigate property flood resilience options
• Check your insurance covers flood damage
• Put important documents in a safe place away from flood risk but somewhere you would have access too in case of an emergency
• Prepare an emergency bag and flood kit
• Ensure pets are microchipped and consider where you could send them if you need to evacuate.

Weather information and Flood alerts can be found on the Met Office website at Weather and climate change – Met Office

We are not aiming to scare or cause worry, but it is always worth preparing for these potential events and we hope this information will help you.