As winter approaches, flood resilience expert Mary Dhonau, in partnership with Flood Re, has produced an 86 page electronic magazine) showing the measures homeowners in flood risk areas across the country have taken to reduce the impact of flooding on their properties. You can read the free full eMag here.

One example in the ‘Property Flood Resilience’ eMag is Leeds resident Martin, owner of a stone-built detached house that was previously flooded in 2006 and 2015. Having seen the impacts that these floods had on his property, he has since installed Property-level Flood Resistance and Resilience (PFR) measures, including increasing the height of the property’s flood barriers from 40cm to 80cm, adding waterproof mortar up to a height of 1m to all walls, ensuring that plastic flooring and skirting was used throughout the property and installing sub-floor pumps with a battery back up system capable of running for up to ten hours in the event of a power failure.

Martin faced three weeks of constant flood warnings in February 2020, but thanks to the measures taken, no water entered the main part of the house.

With almost two-thirds (65%)¹ of homeowners investing in renovations to their properties over lockdown, now is the ideal time for homeowners in Leeds to consider the measures available to reduce their flood risk this winter. The first step is finding out if your home is at risk of flooding, by checking on the Government’s website (https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk).

Homeowners should then ensure they have appropriate insurance cover for their homes. Thanks to the Flood Re Scheme, home insurance in flood risk areas is now widely available and affordable. 97% of homeowners with prior flood claims can now receive quotes from five or more insurers, and four out of five householders with previous flood claims have seen a price reduction of more than 50% since the Scheme was introduced in 2016. Those in flood risk areas should shop around by using price comparison sites, contacting insurers directly or speaking to a broker to ensure they are getting the best home insurance deal for them and the right cover for their homes.

Mary Dhonau of MDA Flood Resilience Consultants, said: 

“This month marks 20 years since I was badly flooded in my own home, I know from first-hand experience that the recovery from being flooded is worse than the flood itself.

“The powerful and inspirational real-life stories in the eMag tell of people who have either had significantly reduced their recovery time, or avoided any flooding at all, as a result of the moves they have taken.

“I look on Flood Risk Management as a jigsaw with many pieces, all working together to reduce our flood risk. In recent years, we have seen robust flood defences overtopped or breeched and it is our homes that have been on the receiving end of the flood water. Anything we can do to reduce the impact of a flood to our homes is time and money well spent.” 

Dermot Kehoe of Flood Re, said:

“Flooding has a devastating impact on people’s homes and lives. Today’s eMag provides practical examples of how householders across the country are taking action to safeguard their properties from future flooding.

“As we approach the wet winter months, I encourage everyone to shop around to ensure they benefit from the affordable home insurance made available by the Flood Re Scheme.”

Click here to read the magazine

Source

¹ The research of 1,022 UK homeowners was conducted on behalf of Money.co.uk during July 2020 https://www.money.co.uk/guides/renovation-nation.