Residents urged to be #floodaware
The Environment Agency is urging residents and businesses in the North East to ensure they know their flood risk and sign up to receive flood warnings.
Flood management officers are reminding the public of the damage that can be caused by flooding, and advising on what people can do to keep themselves safe and limit the impact of flood waters on their property.
The Environment Agency is urging more people to sign up to access flood risk information.
In the Tyne Valley, in Northumberland, more than 87% of residents who are eligible to receive flood warnings from Floodline Warnings Direct have signed up.
There are also high sign up rates in Warkworth, Rothbury, and Greatham.
But some areas have low sign ups, such as Darlington and Great Burdon, and Middlesbrough, which received a new flood warning service in February.
The Environment Agency’s Ben McCarthy, Flood Resilience Team Leader for Northumberland, Durham and Tees, 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 the North East, 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 by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or by visiting the website.
As well as checking flood risk, residents can also find out what action you can take to protect your personal safety and property by visiting the Environment Agency website.
The website also includes advice on how to prepare for flooding, becoming a flood warden, and developing a flood plan.
People can follow the campaign on Twitter via #floodaware or via the Environment Agency blog.
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.