UK weather over the last decade has proven to be highly unpredictable with a number of freak weather events causing property damage to homes including storms, floods and broken pipes during extreme freezing conditions.

So if you’re unlucky enough to be in the path of unstoppable Mother Nature, what should you do if your house floods? Here are some before, during, and after tips to help you through a potentially very difficult time.

PRIOR TO:
If you are concerned about the threat of flooding to your home, you need to make sure you have a flood plan in place to help prevent damage to your home or, should a flood occur, you need to be able to minimize damage and ensure the safety of your possession more near and dear and most valuable.

Your flood plan checklist should include the following:-

1. Have a list of important contacts on hand, agree on where everyone in the household needs to go and how they will keep in touch with each other.
2. Think about what you can move now – don’t wait until the water enters your property, it’s probably too late. If you are near a flood, move items of personal and sentimental value to a safe place.
3. Prioritize other belongings if you have time; this may include ensuring electrical items and computer equipment are moved to a safe location and if you have time and it is safe to do so, move furniture upstairs if possible or it is best to stack furniture as high as possible. off the ground as possible
4. Think about who will need your help the most if it becomes an emergency situation, especially young children, the elderly, and even vulnerable neighbors, but be sure to consider your own safety at all times.
5. Locate your insurance details and check your policy coverage
6. Learn how to turn off your utility supplies like gas, electricity, and water.
7. Assemble an emergency flood kit which could include a flashlight (with extra batteries), warm clothing (waterproof when possible), blankets, first aid supplies, bottled water, and non-perishable food (including necessary supplies for babies and children). little ones)
8. Monitor local weather warnings in the news and on sites like the environment agency

DURING:
If flooding is likely to be imminent, implement your flood action plan by ensuring:-

• Everyone’s safety is the top priority
• Turn off electricity, gas, water, etc.
• Move valuables and household contents if it is safe to do so
• If you have a vehicle, move to higher ground if you have time before a direct flood
• Evacuate the property as soon as possible
• If someone appears to be in danger, notify the emergency services immediately.
• Keep an eye on vulnerable friends and neighbors and don’t forget about pets
• KEEP CALM
• If you know of a local evacuation center, go there with your family as soon as possible.

Floodwater is highly polluted and in large volumes, fast-flowing water can be very dangerous, so avoid driving or walking on it whenever possible and listen to the advice of emergency services at all times.

For a severely affected area, it is common for the city council to provide evacuation centers that will provide temporary shelter for you and even your pets if they can be restrained or kept in a suitable pet crate (don’t forget human and pet food if necessary). possible!)

LATER:

• When told that it is safe to return to your property, be aware of hazards that may be lurking near or in your home, such as bacteria (try not to come in contact with directly flooded property), sharp or detached objects, and various types of debris. . of structural damage. Children or the elderly are not recommended to enter the property after flood damage.
• If you have not already done so, contact your Insurance Company and report your claim as soon as possible. During a flood situation, you will likely experience delays in contacting by phone and it may take several weeks for a claims inspector or loss adjuster to attend due to high volumes of claims.
• If you do not have insurance cover, you should contact your local council for advice on what assistance may be available.
• Initially, do not attempt any major cleanup work and do not dispose of any of your damaged belongings, as these will need to be inspected when assessing your claim.
• Stay away from wet electrical appliances and do not attempt to repair any structural damage yourself as this will need to be properly assessed.

Your insurer will usually provide you with the assistance of specialized restoration companies and they will take care of everything from cleaning, disassembly of damaged fixtures and fittings, disinfection, drying (which can take several months) and, if you have contents coverage , they will also assess the damage to these, restore what is possible and anything that cannot be restored, list them in an inventory for you and dispose of them safely; this inventory will then help you prepare your claim.

Buildings and contents coverage will cover alternative accommodation costs during the period the property is not habitable for living, so you should contact your insurer/loss adjuster as soon as possible to discuss possible options. This could include:

• Stay in a hotel in case of emergency
• Staying with friends/family (you need to apply for a financial allowance for this)
• Obtaining a short-term rental property

A flood claim will generally follow these lines:

1. Claim notification to Insurers
2. Visit of the loss adjuster appointed by the insurers, who will assess the damage and discuss with you alternative accommodation, etc.
3. If there are no issues with your policy coverage, it’s reasonable for you to request an emergency interim payment to help you purchase emergency items; this payment may be offset at a later stage in any agreed arrangement. Any alternative accommodation requirements will be evaluated in advance.
4. Designation of a specialized restoration company to handle cleaning, drying (building coverage) and assessment and removal of contents (content coverage)
5. If the property was heavily saturated, it may take several months to dry out; a restoration company will provide a drying certificate.
6. Before drying is complete, your repair estimates will be reviewed and authorized if it is in order or if you choose to use an insurance approved contractor this will be authorized. If your claim is of high value (approximately £20,000 or more), an inspector will likely be involved in the process of obtaining bids and overseeing repairs; these costs will be borne by your insurer.
7. If you have contents coverage, you will need to provide a complete and itemized list of items that were damaged beyond repair; for higher value items (say over £300) you will likely need to provide original receipts/replacement estimates where possible
8. When the property has been restored, your alternative accommodation will cease and you will be able to return home.

During your insurance claim, you should keep a record of all activities, including dates and times, and if you are in any doubt at any stage, check with your insurer/loss adjuster and do not proceed with anything until you are sure they are going. to turn off. that.

Disputes can usually arise with flood claims; they may be due to disputes over costs/values, understanding of policy coverage, or you may experience unacceptable service levels, especially during high claims volume situations. If you want your claim to go as smoothly as possible, you need to understand what your policy covers, how to deal with common disputes effectively, and how to file an effective complaint should you be unlucky enough to experience problems.