What to do if you are flooded

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Been there, done that, lost the tshirt

You may be wondering what to do if you have been flooded. Us too. It sucks. I’m sorry.

Here are my top tips for what to do if you have been flooded

What to do when you are being flooded

First, get yourself, loved ones and pets to safety, if you need to evacuate call 999.

If you can put important items like documents somewhere safe.

Next, contact your insurance company

What to do after being flooded

So the flood water has either come and gone or has come and is sitting at a safe level. These are your next steps.

Remember that flood water can be contaminated and dangerous, also to watch out for currents.

First report it to your insurance company if you haven’t already.

Depending on your area you can report it on “fix my street” and contact the drainage board if you are within a dyke drainage system. 

Take pictures of anything damaged or affected including water levels, general rooms etc.

Move anything away from damp rooms that you want to save as damp rooms will affect things over time. Be aware if moving items upstairs of the levels of damp upstairs.

Save irreplaceable things first. 

Start a list of items for insurance with the photos and as much detail as possible. This is a long painful process.

What to expect next

After being flooded and once the flood waters are gone you are likely to be assigned an Insurance Assessor by your Insurance company. These fellas aren’t from your insurance company but a separate company hired by them (a lot of costs from a claim come from all the different people you have to use).

They will likely come out to visit, assess the damage and basically explain the whole process which will tailored (broadly) to your unique circumstances.

You can read more about our experiences of life during and after a flood in my flood diary.

Key things to remember after being flooded

Something that you may not think about until it’s too late is how much it affects your mental health being flooded. Insurance companies offer no help with this and show no real concern but don’t shrug it off. Know that being flooded is traumatic. Any feelings you feel are valid so deal with them however you feel best. Therapy is great and underutilized in the UK.

The insurance companies may send your payments in the form of Cheques. So last century I know. But they seem to be in a league of their own. Check whether your banking app accepts cheques, if so how much etc in advance. Otherwise you will have to search for an actual, physical bank. Happy hunting!

Insurance Assessors get a big ole payday if you take a lower offer. Awful but true. They are not your friends.

Flood Life Essentials

If you are staying on property like we did here is a list of key essentials handy to have in case of flood. We are not personally in a flood zone but our property has flooded twice since we have lived here. We now have a caravan set up high above potential flood water (it’s a lot of steps down!) with some of these key essentials always ready to go or easy to find.

Flood life essentials

• Camping toilet
• Wipes
• Clean water bottles for transporting water-our outside tap was useable
• Water dispensers-without internal running water we used these for 6 months, not ideal.
• Hot water Urn for washing etc.
• Hot water bottles-heat is both essential and comforting
• Electric blankets
• Plug-in heaters

What to do after a flood-Official Advice Links

Government website

National Flood Forum

Citizens Advice-Scotland