The Environment Agency is urging the public to ensure they are prepared for a flood as the nation marks the annual ‘Flood Action Week’, which this year runs from 14-20 October. 

This year’s awareness campaign coincides with the one-year anniversary of Storm Babet, which brought significant flooding across the country.  

According to the Met Office, Storm Babet saw the third wettest three-day period in a series for England and Wales since 1891. 

Nearly 96,900 properties were protected by the Environment Agency during Storm Babet, though sadly around 2,150 were flooded. 

As climate change brings more extreme weather, there has already been flooding this autumn. Only last month, heavy rainfall led to the first major incident of the season with almost a thousand properties flooded. It followed the wettest 18 months on record in England up to February 2024.  

This campaign is all about showing people that they can easily take a few steps to reduce the devastation caused by floods to their homes and businesses, with around 5.5 million properties in England at risk from flooding. Recent data suggests that nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks, making this campaign all the more important. 

The best way to protect yourself from flooding is early preparation and knowing what to do in advance. Some of the actions people can take to reduce the dangers are:   

• Check your long-term flood risk. You can use this free service to find out the long-term flood risk for an area in England, the possible causes of flooding, and how to manage flood risk. 
• Sign up for flood warningsby phone, text or email  
• Taking steps to protect yourself from future flooding– including storing important documents in a secure, waterproof location, taking rugs and small furniture upstairs, checking how to turn off your electricity and water, preparing a flood kit. 

The Environment Agency and its partners are continuing to help communities become more resilient to extreme weather and rising sea levels, but authorities can never stop all flood impacts.  

Read more from the Environment Agency HERE.