Northamptonshire residents urged to be 'flood aware'
The Environment Agency is urging people and businesses in Northamptonshire to check their flood risk, sign up for flood warnings, and know what to do if a flood happens.
Doing these simple things can help people better protect those close to them, their homes and their businesses from flooding.
The reminder to be ‘#floodaware’ marks the start of the Agency’s annual awareness-raising campaign, which will involve a range of media, social media, and partnership activity.
In Northamptonshire, only 19% of those facing flood risk have signed up to the EA’s free flood warning service. Signing up to Floodline Warnings Direct ensures people can be contacted via their preferred method – including landline, mobile, text or email – using the details they’ve provided.
Rachael McMahon, a flood resilience advisor at the Environment Agency, said:
Flooding can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, with as many as one in six properties at risk of flooding in the UK.
So it’s essential that people understand the risks that flooding poses to property and personal safety, and that they find out what they can do to keep themselves warned and informed against any future flood risk.
While we work hard together with our partners to reduce the risk of flooding to properties across Northamptonshire, there are many useful precautions people can take, including ensuring they know their flood risk and signing up to receive flood warnings.
Check to see if free flood warnings are available in your community and sign up on our website or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.
As well as checking flood risk, residents can also find out what action they can take to protect their personal safety and property by visiting the Environment Agency website.The website also includes advice on how to prepare for flooding and developing a flood plan.
People can follow the campaign on Twitter via #floodaware or via the Environment Agency blog. The Environment Agency will be encouraging people to sign up to free flood warnings and alert friends and family on social media using the hashtag #floodaware. Visit Twitter and Facebook to get involved.
The campaign will run from 3 until 13 November.
Flood schemes have protected an extra 177,000 properties in the last four years. There have been record levels of investment, with £2.3 billion being spent over the next six years to reduce flood risk to 300,000 more properties.