‘Get winter ready’ advises NRW

With winter on the way, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is urging people to take action and prepare for the changeable and challenging weather that could come with the season.

Storms in recent years, such as Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis in February 2020, led to exceptional levels of flooding, the most severe seen in Wales since 1979.

More rain and higher levels of flood risk are expected as the climate emergency worsens, putting more and more communities at risk.

NRW’s flood defences help to protect 73,000 properties across Wales. Yet individuals and communities can also play an important role in reducing the impact of floods by being aware of flood risks, the potential impacts and by being prepared to take action if and when a flood occurs.

Around 245,000 properties in Wales are at risk of flooding, which is why NRW is encouraging people to take some simple steps to help play their part in the preparation efforts:

• Find out if you’re at risk of flooding – NRW’s upgraded Flood maps highlight if your area is at risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, reservoirs or from surface water and small watercourses.
  You can also use our new Check Your Flood Risk service here. For those properties which are at risk, the website also provides information about the practical steps families and businesses can take to reduce the impact of a flood.
• Sign up for flood warnings - In many flood risk areas, you can sign up to NRW’s free flood warning service to receive an automated message when a flood alert, flood warning or severe flood warning has been issued in their area.
• Create a flood plan – NRW’s website contains advice, resources and signposting to helpful information on how to prepare for flooding.  It also has downloadable templates that can help people to prepare for flooding, take actions to reduce the impact of flooding, as well as actions people will need to take during a flood.  A flood plan captures important information such as the location of gas/water mains and key contact numbers and can be used to record what actions to take and when.
• Prepare a flood kit – Be ready for a flood and have a pre-prepared kit containing essential items such as copies of insurance documents, first aid kit, prescription medication, pet or baby supplies, a torch and warm, waterproof clothing.
• Do you have insurance? Check if you have adequate flood insurance as part of your cover.
• Find out who can help?  Certain types of flooding (e.g. coastal, surface water, river etc) are dealt with by different organisations. You can check who deals with what on our responsibilities page here.
• You can also obtain help and advice by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 

Jeremy Parr, Head of Flood Incident Risk Management at Natural Resources Wales said:

“Flooding can devastate homes and ruin businesses overnight, affecting whole communities, which is why so much of our resource goes into reducing flood risk for people living in Wales.

“Extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent as our climate changes. And while our teams work closely with partners to reduce the risk to people and property right across Wales, we will never be able to stop all flooding.

“That is why it’s so important for us all – householders and business owners - to understand the risk and the actions we can all take to help protect ourselves, our families and our properties this winter.

“Understanding your flood risk is the first step. Just because it hasn’t flooded near you before doesn’t mean it won’t.  . If you do find that your property is at risk of flooding, there is wealth of information, advice and services available on our website.”

Find out about the whole range of services available to prepare for the time before, during and after a flood on the Natural Resources Wales website here www.naturalresources.wales/flooding