London Flood Awareness Week 12-18 November #LDNFloodaware @LDN_prepared
How prepared are you for flooding in London?
Did you know that 1.3 million people are living and working in areas of the city at risk of tidal and river flooding? How about that around a third of London’s basement properties are at risk of flooding in a severe storm?
These are big numbers. But thanks to London’s extensive flood defence system, including the iconic Thames Barrier, London is well protected against tidal and river flooding. But we cannot prevent all flooding.
There can still be flooding from unpredictable sources, such as heavy rainfall. Unfortunately, these can happen anywhere, at any time. And they can have disproportionate effects on people who are least able to cope with flooding, such as the elderly, those on low incomes, and large families.
Whether it’s losing precious photographs, or having to replace furniture or important documents, flood damage can cost people a lot of money and take a long time to recover from. It can also have long-term mental health impacts.
That’s why the Mayor of London, the Environment Agency, London Resilience and Thames Water are working together to help Londoners better understand their risk of flooding, as well as the actions they can take to help protect themselves, their loved ones and their belongings from flooding. The campaign will run between Monday 12thand Sunday 18thNovember.
There are lots of quick and simple things you can do now to help prepare for flooding. For example, you can:
check your risk of flooding from heavy rainfall, rivers and the tidal Thames by typing your address into the Environment Agency’s flood risk checker
sign up for severe weather alerts from the Met Office
put your precious and important belongings somewhere safe, like a high shelf or in a waterproof container
prepare an emergency bag with the things you’ll need if you have to leave your home, such as medicine and important documents
create a personal flood plan
get to know your community better so that you can help others who might need assistance
To find out more about how to prepare for flooding, check out the campaign’s webpage www.london.gov.uk/flood-aware.
To find out how prepared you are for a severe flood event in London, take our quiz: www.london.gov.uk/be-flood-aware
