Flood
There's a flood alert or flood warning for your area.
Water is coming up the street, or into your home.
Updated
Do now
- Know the 3 levels. Flood alert: flooding is possible, get ready. Flood warning: flooding is expected, act now. Severe flood warning: danger to life.
- Check warnings for your area, and sign up for free flood warnings: England on GOV.UK or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188, Scotland with SEPA, Wales with Natural Resources Wales.
- Move people, pets, medicines and important documents upstairs or to higher ground.
- Turn off the gas, electricity and water if it's safe to do so.
- Put your documents, phone, power bank and medicines somewhere you can grab them.
- If you're told to leave, go straight away.
- Call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.
Afterwards
- Wash your hands with warm, soapy water after touching flood water or anything it has reached.
- Take photos or videos of the damage, and mark the water level on the wall before it goes down. Your insurer will want both.
- Stay out of flood water unless you have to go in. If you do, move slowly and keep away from fast-moving water.
Check on
- Neighbours who live alone, and anyone in a ground-floor or basement flat.
- Anyone who'd struggle to move things upstairs or leave quickly.
Don't
Don't: walk, cycle or drive through flood water. It can be much deeper than it looks, and 30 cm of water is enough to float a car.
Don't: touch an electrical switch if you're standing in water.
Don't: wait if you're told to leave. Delaying can put your life at risk.
Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
The kit for this
Read next
- Weather warnings explained
What each colour means, and what we'd do at home.
- Storm
Storm coming? Check the Met Office warnings, tie down the garden, charge your phone and power bank, and never walk or drive through flood water.
- Cash and documents
Some cash, printed documents, and a wallet to keep them dry.
Sources
- Be Ready: flooding (UK government)
- Flood alerts and warnings (GOV.UK)
- Sign up for flood warnings: England (GOV.UK)
- Flood warnings: Scotland (SEPA)
- Flood warnings: Wales (Natural Resources Wales)
- Flood risk: Northern Ireland (nidirect)
- Flooding safety advice (Water Safety England), source of the 30 cm figure