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You are here: Home > Community and living > Safer Borough > Emergency Planning > Flooding

Flooding

This page contains information on flooding

Rainfall and river levels are monitored 24 hours a day and the information is used to forecast the possibility of flooding

If flooding is forecast, warnings are issued using four codes:

• Flood watch – flooding possible. Be aware! Be prepared! Watch out!      

• Flood warning – flooding expected affecting homes, businesses and main roads. Act now!      

• Severe Flood Warning – Server flooding expected. Imminent danger to life and property.       

• All clear – An all clear will be issued when flood watches or warnings are no longer in force.      

You can view the current status of the rivers local to you on the flood status table.

• View Flood Status Table (external website)          

The Environment Agency provides a Floodline Service – Telephone Number 0845 9881188.   You can listen to recorded flood warning information or speak to an operator for general information and advice, 24 hours a day. 

• For more information see the Environment Agency website.         

Whilst there is no duty on the Authority to provide sandbags.   Reigate and Banstead has a policy of putting the customer first and will try and provide assistance where possible.

• See Sandbags for details   
• See Surface Water for information if you are affected by surface water flooding         

In cases of very serious flooding resulting in the need for evacuation of houses, the council will provide rest centres as stated in the Council’s Emergency Plan, Welfare section.

Simple ways to protect your home from flooding

Below are some simple steps that can help reduce the effects of flooding in your home and property:

• Gas, Electricity and Water 
  • Turn off gas, electricity and water supplies at the mains. Find out where these are well in advance of any flood
  • Unplug all electrical items and store upstairs or as high up as possible
  • Put plugs into sinks and weigh them down with something heavy      
• Reduce flood water getting into your home 
  • Silicone sealant - open doors and windows, smear a layer of this around the frame, then shut and lock the door/window
  • Ideally, cover doors, windows and airbricks with plywood, sandbags or metal sheeting.       
• Furniture and appliances 
• • Move as much furniture and electrical items as you can upstairs. Alternatively raise them up on bricks or blocks - this may be very helpful for large appliances such as fridge/freezers
  • Move furniture away from walls, as this helps when drying your property later
  • If you can, roll up carpets and rugs and put them upstairs
  • If there is no time to remove curtains, hang them up over the rail so they are kept above flood water
  • Leave internal doors open, or ideally, remove them and store them upstairs      
• Personal Items 
• • You cannot replace sentimental items. Think about permanently moving these upstairs, so you do not forget to move them in the case of a flood
  • Keep important personal documents in a sealed bag, and in a location safe from floodwater      
• Outside the house 
• • Move anything not fixed down into a safer location, e.g. dustbins, garden chemicals car oil and similar
  • Move your car to higher ground to avoid damage
  • Weigh down manhole covers outside the house to prevent them floating away and leaving a hazardous hole      

What to do if a flood happens?

• Listen out for warnings on radio and TV and phone Floodline on 0845 988 1188 for more information.
• Move pets, vehicles, valuables and other items to safety.
• Alert your neighbours, particularly the elderly
• Use sandbags or floorboards to block doorways and air bricks – but make sure you property is ventilated. Plug sinks/baths and put a sandbag in the toilet bowl to prevent backflow 
• Be ready to turn off gas and electricity (get help if needed). Unplug electrical items and move them upstairs if possible
• Co-operate with emergency services and local authorities - you may be evacuated to a rest centre
• Do as much as you can in daylight. Doing anything in the dark will be a lot harder, especially if the electricity fails       

Stay Safe in a Flood

• Floods can kill. Don’t try to walk or drive through floodwater – six inches of fast flowing water can knock you over and two feet of water will float a car. Manhole covers may come off and there may be other hazards you can’t see.
• Never try to swim through fast flowing water – you may get swept away or be struck by an object in the water
• Don’t walk on see defences, riverbanks or cross river bridges if possible – They may collapse in extreme situations or you may be swept off by large waves. Beware of stones and pebbles being thrown up by waves
• Avoid contact with floodwater – it may be contaminated with sewage       

How to cope after a flood

• Call your insurance company and report the incident
• Find out about suppliers of cleaning materials and equipment for drying out your property
• Contact your gas, electricity and water suppliers to check supplies have been reconnected
• Ventilate you home to aid drying out opening doors and windows.
• Run the water tap for a few minutes before using
• Don’t turn on electrical equipment until you are sure it has dried out

Related websites

• Flooding - Southern summary (Environment Agency external  website)
• Flooding - Thames summary (Environment Agency external website)
• UK: severe weather warnings (Met Office external website)
• Weather - Reigate, United Kingdom (BBC external website)
• Surrey travel news (BBC external website)