In the wake of Storms Ciara and Dennis I have been contacted by the Environment Agency.
They have provided the following advice for local residents to consider both for preparedness and in the event of flooding:
- Flooding is dangerous and can happen very quickly and the effects can be devastating. The best way to protect yourself from flooding is to know what to do in advance.
- We advise people to stay away from swollen rivers and urge people not to drive through flood water as just 30cm of flowing water is enough to move your car.
- More than 1.4 million people are signed up for free flood warnings, giving them vital time to save themselves and their possessions from the devastating effects of flooding. This service is free and they can sign up at www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 and they can check the latest flood information on our website at https://www.gov.uk/check-if-youre-at-risk-of-flooding.
- They can also follow us on Twitter Midlands @EnvAgencyMids.
- Further information for constituents about how they can better prepare for a flooding can be found on the Flood Hub website at https://www.thefloodhub.co.uk.
- If anyone wants to report flooding or blockages within a watercourse we would ask that in the first instance to contact our 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or email [email protected].
- We also have a smartphone app that can be downloaded for free
The Environment Agency have also forward a handout, which you can access at the bottom of this page, about the importance of reporting flooding.
