Preparing for flooding

With no major rivers within the City, Wolverhampton does not generally suffer from flooding however, localised events do happen from time to time close to brooks and gullies during extreme conditions.

Working in Wolverhampton, you may commute from areas close to the Penk, Severn, Sow, Tame and Trent river valleys. You may regularly spend time at places around the UK's coastline. If this is the case, make sure you know what to do before flooding happens.

To see if your home, business or land near to a potential source of flooding, use the Environment Agency's 'What's in your backyard?' web pages.

The following information, wherever you live, will help you take steps to reduce risks and increase your protection from flooding.

Advice and Guides

A number of government departments and organisations produce advice and guides about dealing with flooding.

The Environment Agency have produced a range of guides and information including:

• Am I at risk of flooding?
• Prepare for flooding guides 
• Floodline service 
• Online flood library

Flood factsheets are available in other languages and alternative formats such as large print, braille and audio cassette.

Information and advice about protecting homes and businesses is also available from Floodline.

The Cabinet Office Civil Contingent Secreteriat has also produced the UK Resiliance - Flooding web page which gives more general information.

Learning about flooding

A range of study materials have been produced to support learning in Key Stage 2 through to undergraduate level.

The Environment Agency has produced CD-ROM with case studies which can help students and teachers.

Boscastle floods

A guide booklet has been produced by the Environment Agency about of the Boscastle floods in August 2004.

To download a copy, click on the PDF icon below:

Lesson plans for schools about the East Coast Floods of 1953 has also been produced.

Also, the Met Office have collected together a series of links about flood events.

Flood protection products

Flood Kit

The first step in protecting and helping yourself before flooding is to make sure you have a flood kit. These can be bought or made up from common items around the home.

When you need to use it, your flood kit should contain:

• important personal documents
• a torch
• a battery powered or wind-up radio
• rubber gloves
• a first aid kit
• baby essentials
• improtant phone numbers
• a disposeable camera.

If a flood warning is issued, add:

• Wellington boots
• waterproof clothing.

Products

A range of products are on the market to help reduce or prevent flooding of homes and businesses.

Products such as barriers, boards and covers are more suited to areas where there is a history of flooding, usualy each year.

The Environment Agency is supporting the Kitemark scheme which ensures that flood protection products are fit for purpose. A number of Kitemarked products are already on the market.

The National Flood Forum publicises regular 'Flood Fairs' where visitors can seek expert advice, talk to retailers and buy flood protection products.

Retailers are represented by a trade organisation, the Flood Protection Association.