Your business
Advice on what you and your employees can do before, during and after a flood.
Did you know? By taking action to prepare for flooding, most businesses can save between 20 and 90 per cent on the cost of lost stock and movable equipment and reduce the trouble and stress caused by a flood.
Before a Flood
- Check if your business is at risk
- Flooding can affect more than just your property, it may impact on your employees and deliveries that need to travel through areas of flooding to reach you. Use SEPA's Flood Maps to find out if your business or land is in an area at risk of flooding caused by rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Create a flood plan with the following:
- A staff contact list (those who should be notified of a flood) and a list of other important contacts including Floodline, building services, suppliers and evacuation contacts for staff who may require assistance in the event of a flood.
- A description or map showing key locations, protective materials and service shut off points.
- Basic building materials to help protect your property.
- A checklist of procedures that can be quickly accessed by staff during a flood.
- A copy of your flood insurance policy number and important documents.
- Register with Floodline
- Receive free, advance flood messages direct to your phone. It's possible to register up to five contact numbers and multiple address to one Floodline account, keeping important people in your business informed and ready to take action.
During a Flood
When flooding is imminent, your main priority is to make sure that your employees are safe.
- Check Floodline
- If you've received a message from Floodline, visit flood.sepa.org.uk for the full update. More details are often provided like the cause of flooding and the types of areas that will be affected.
- Follow your flood plan
- Install flood protection products if you have them.
- Move all electrical equipment to a higher level and away from electrical sockets.
- Turn off gas and electricity supplies if this is possible and required.
- Move valuable items to a higher level in your property.
- Inform staff and customers of the potential for flooding.
- Move cars to higher ground if needed.
After a Flood
In the event that your business has flooded:
- Assess the flood damage if safe to do so
- Take photographs of damaged property, assets and stock for your insurance company, and do not discard any property until instructed by your insurer.
- - Be aware of the health effects when dealing with a flood
- When cleaning up, always wear appropriate clothing and protection as flood water can be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Be mindful of the stress cleaning up can have on a person's mental wellbeing. If repairs need to be made, consider making improvements to make your property more flood resilient.
