Need for more action on flooding raised in Parliament by Stuart Anderson MP
The need for more action on flooding prevention and recovery has been raised in Parliament by Stuart Anderson MP. Stuart attended a meeting in Parliament on 16th October with the Environment Agency and FloodRe, a joint initiative between the government and insurers which was launched with the aim of making the ‘flood cover’ part of household insurance policies more affordable.
Following the meeting, Stuart has now refreshed his online ‘Flooding Support’ webpage with the latest details available. It signposts assistance available for those impacted by flooding. The webpage was originally launched in January 2024, after Storm Henk had flooded 74 properties and 32 businesses in Shropshire Council area. It is part of Flood Action Week, which runs between 14th and 20th October 2024. The campaign, launched by the Environment Agency, aims to ensure that every person knows their flood risk and action to take.
Between October 2022 and March 2024, England experienced the most rain for any 18- month period since records started in 1836. Around 5.5 million homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding. Yet nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks. Stuart’s webpage aims to change this, by making information and support easily to find. It complements the aims of Flood Action Week, which 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.
Stuart is urging residents to sign up to the Flood Warning Service, which is provided by the Environment Agency to help residents prepare for potential flooding. It uses its flood warning system to alert 1.6 million properties directly when flooding is expected.
Residents can visit www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or call 0345 988 1188 to sign up for Flood Alerts. He is also calling on residents to explore the longer-term Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures they can adopt to protect their own homes. FloodRe’s ‘Build Back Better’ initiative also enables householders to install property flood resilience measures up to the value of £10,000 when repairing their properties after a flood.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“I know only too well the devastating impact that flooding can have on local communities and businesses across South Shropshire. While five million properties are at risk of flooding, nearly half the country is unsure of how to find information on local flood risks. I want to do all that I can to help householders and businesses plan ahead to mitigate the impacts of flooding. This Flood Action Week, I strongly urge everyone to check their flood risk and keep up to date with updates from the Environment Agency. Residents can do so via my 'Flooding Support' webpage, which has been recently refreshed to help everyone quickly and easily find the support available.
Stuart’s updated flooding support webpage can be found at www.stuartanderson.org.uk/flooding-support. The Environment Agency encourages people to take key steps to prepare themselves in the event of flood risk, including:
- Check your flood risk online: https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk
- Sign up for flood warnings: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings
- Know what to do if flooding hits: https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/plan-ahead-for-flooding
