Useful Tips for Avoiding Flood Damage

As the forecast hot and sunny summer of 2009 seems to have now missed us, thoughts now turn to autumn and winter and with it, the potential flooding that hit many parts of the UK in the past few years.

This article looks at recent weather patterns and gives some tips on how businesses can try to avoid flooding in the future.

Rising temperatures, warmer winters and even hotter summers have been the talk from experts when it comes to climate change but recent years has seen worldwide misery and destruction when it comes to the weather.

The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami in the Indian Ocean brought with it devastation and loss beyond belief with according to United Nations figures 229,866 people lost, including 186,983 dead and 42,883 missing.

2005 saw Hurricane Katrina rip through many parts of the United States with at least 1,836 people losing their lives in the Hurricane and subsequent floods. The storm is estimated to have been responsible for $81.2 billion (2005 U.S Dollars) in damage, making it the costliest natural disaster in US history.

And in the United Kingdom in June and July 2007 yet more misery in the form of torrential rainfall that saw homes, businesses and lives destroyed throughout many parts of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. And whilst the storms in the UK haven’t been on the scale of those witnessed in the Far East and United States, lives have been lost and the clean up operation is just underway.

So with further rainfall forecast the UK’s Business Insurance Broker, Northern Counties Insurance Brokers, have produced these useful tips which businesses can follow to help them both pre and post loss should they be hit by flooding.

Pre Loss tips include:

1. Ensuring that where possible all electrical equipment and stock is stored at least four feet above ground
2. Turning off electrical equipment (excluding burglar alarms)
3. Turning off the supply to central heating units if these are at ground level
4. Whenever and wherever possible moving vehicles to high ground
5. Sand bagging the premises if there is a high exposure to potential flooding
6. Consider constructing gullies to funnel water to drains
7. Clearing all drains and gutters on and around the premises of leaves and any other obstructions to allow an unrestricted flow of water
8. Moving high value items away from unmanned premises

This is by no means a comprehensive list of actions you could take prior to a flood but by following them your chances of a loss occurring could be significantly reduced.

So what action can you take in the event of a loss occurring?
 

Post Loss tips include:

1. Removing debris where possible. However if the debris is in any way contaminated, you may need to contact the emergency services first.
2. Saving items of value for inspection
3. If stranded, contact the emergency services immediately
4. If possible allowing ventilation to the premises
5. Consider up to £500 of emergency repairs to mitigate future losses
6. Take all appropriate and reasonable measures to protect the premises from future flooding
7. Contact your insurance broker or insurance company immediately so they can help make sure your claim is dealt with as quickly and as favourably as possible

Hopefully the weather like we have seen recent years will be a freak occurrence that doesn’t hit us again but should storms and flooding continue hopefully these Useful Tips for Avoiding Flood Damage will go some way to help you out.