Flooding

Turn off the electrics in your house.

Where possible and practicable move items up off the ground or up to a higher level in your property.

Do not walk through flooded area, the current of the flood water can be more powerful than you think.

Avoid travelling where possible.

Make sure all electrical circuits are fully dried out and checked by an electrical engineer before switching appliances and sockets back on.

When drying out your property be careful to ensure you’re not overloading extension leads or adapters.

Only use electrical appliances if you know they are still in good working order.

Try to ensure you only use washing machines or tumble dryers when you are at home and awake. Avoid using them overnight when you are askeep.

Switch heaters off if you are going to leave them unattended.

Keep portable heaters at least one metre away from furniture or other flammable items.

We understand you will want to dry your property out as quickly as possible but don’t be tempted to use portable heaters to do this. You could put yourself at a higher risk of having an accidental house fire. We would advise you either contact professional services or use dehumidifiers instead.

Your cooker may not be working or you may be forced to live upstairs, so take care if you have to make alternative arrangements for cooking.

You may be tempted to cook on disposable barbecues inside, however not only does this increase your fire risk but it puts you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning too.

There will no doubt be more people calling you on the telephone or knocking on the door at this time, so take care when cooking. Try to avoid distractions, but if you do get called away remember to either turn the heat down or remove pans from the heat altogether.

Ensure you have a working smoke alarm in your property and test it regularly. If you struggle to test it, see if there’s a friend or neighbour who could help you.

If you use a specialist smoke alarm like a hard of hearing alarm or linked system with a pager, please check the backup battery is working if your electrics have been affected.

Consider any difficulties you and your family may have trying to get out of your property if you need to do so quickly. Think about the best door to use, the location of keys, torches etc. and try to keep routes clear from obstructions.