The Environment Agency is urging the public to ensure they are prepared for a flood as the nation marks the annual ‘Flood Action Week’, which this year runs from 14-20 October.

This year’s awareness campaign coincides with the one-year anniversary of Storm Babet, which brought significant flooding across the country.

According to the Met Office, Storm Babet saw the third wettest three-day period in a series for England and Wales since 1891.

Nearly 96,900 properties were protected by the Environment Agency during Storm Babet, though sadly around 2,150 were flooded.

As climate change brings more extreme weather, there has already been flooding this autumn. Only last month, heavy rainfall led to the first major incident of the season with almost a thousand properties flooded. It followed the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.

The campaign is all about showing people that they can easily take a few steps to reduce the devastation caused by floods to their homes and businesses, with around 5.5 million properties in England at risk from flooding. Recent data suggests that nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks, making this campaign all the more important.

The Environment Agency and its partners are continuing to help communities become more resilient to extreme weather and rising sea levels, but authorities can never stop all flood impacts.

Caroline Douglass, Environment Agency Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management, said:

“Climate change means extreme weather events are happening more frequently, and we have already seen an unusually wet September this year.

“We can’t always predict where the rain will fall or where flooding will occur, but we do know which areas are at risk.

“That is why it is essential we all do our part by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings this Flood Action Week. While we at the Environment Agency are stepping up our preparations to increase the nation’s resilience to flooding as we head into the winter, taking small steps today can immediately improve your own readiness. “

Following the flooding caused by Storms Ciara and Dennis in 2020, it was estimated that the average insurance claim per household was £32,000.

The impacts of flooding to mental health can be equally as harmful as the physical damage and disruption. People whose homes have been damaged by extreme weather are more likely to have poor mental health than the rest of the population.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

“Flooding can be a destructive force that puts everything in life on hold. I’ve seen the impacts firsthand and am determined to ensure as much as possible others do not.

“Through the recent launch of our Floods Resilience Taskforce, this government is taking decisive action to accelerate the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather.

“But this Flood Action Week, we must be all be proactive in taking steps to protect ourselves by checking our flood risk and signing up for flood warnings.”

Last winter, Storm Babet was followed in quick succession by Storms Ciaran and Henk, which each led to more significant flooding, though flood defences operated well overall. While around 5,000 properties were sadly flooded, around 250,000 properties were protected thanks to the investments the Environment Agency has made in flood and coastal defences.

In the year since Storm Babet, the Environment Agency has undertaken a thorough assessment of the condition of flood defense assets across the country to ensure they are up to the required standard.

It has conducted over 200,000 checks on the state of assets in the past year – up from 150,000 in an average year – and increased our spend on asset maintenance and repair to £236 million, up from £200 million.

Pumps have been pre-emptively deployed at seven strategic depots in vulnerable regions around the country to ensure they can be rolled out rapidly as and when required.

Public urged to explore longer-term Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures

The public are also urged to explore the longer-term Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures they can adopt to protect their own homes. The Environment Agency estimates nine out of 10 properties fitted with PFR in England saw the measures delivered via its flood and coastal risk management investment programme, ensuring better protection.

Flood Re is a joint initiative between the Government and insurers aiming to make the flood cover part of household insurance policies more affordable. Its Build Back Better initiative enables householders to install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their properties after a flood.

Flood Re Interim CEO Stuart Logue said:

“One year on from Storm Babet and we are seeing yet more severe weather and flooding across the country, causing not only physical devastation to homes, but also placing a unique burden on the mental health and wellbeing of families who are affected.

“This acts as a stark reminder of the importance of our Build Back Better scheme where householders can access up to £10,000 to build resilience into their homes when carrying our flood repairs.

“Householders can find out which insurance providers are part of the scheme on our website by searching Flood Re Build Back Better.”

The Environment Agency is once again supporting Floodex UK, the leading sector event for the flood risk, sustainable drainage and water level management sector. Floodex takes place alongside the National Drainage Show and Waterways Management Show at ExCel, London on 27 and 28 November 2024. Click here  for more information