Lives and possessions at risk, Environment Agency warns

Students in England are leaving themselves vulnerable to the devastating effects of flooding according to new figures released by the Environment Agency. Just 1 per cent of full time students – many of whom move frequently and rent – have checked their flood risk in preparation for this winter, potentially putting their lives at risk.

The YouGov survey, conducted for the Environment Agency, also found that:

• To  prepare for winter, over a third of students had bought an item of winter clothing, but just 1 per cent had checked the flood risk in their local area
• Around one in six students said that having their home flood was the one thing that they were most frightened of
• Students were five times more likely to stockpile food in preparation for winter than to check their flood risk.

Around 105,000 young people live in areas at medium or high risk of flooding – a fifth of the total population in those areas – but almost half said that they would not know what to do in response to a flood warning.

And while young people are the age group least aware of their risk, over two thirds (67%) of British adults haven’t checked if their home is at risk of flooding in the last 12 months, despite last winter’s extensive flooding.

With one in six properties in England at risk of flooding, the Environment Agency is urging everyone to prepare for winter by checking online if they are at risk of flooding, and signing up to free flood warnings.

John Curtin, Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said: “Flooding is an ever present risk and everyone has a part to play in protecting themselves. You can find out if you are at risk online, and sign up to free flood warnings, which provide vital time for people to get themselves, their loved ones and their possessions out of harm’s way. Simple actions such as moving possessions upstairs before a flood can save an average of £6000 in damages, so the notice that a flood warning can give is really important.”

Sarah Soames was a student living in a rented house in Birmingham when she was affected by flooding:

“We went through two and a half months of hell – the landlord wouldn’t release us from our contract and we had to stay upstairs in a house without floorboards or a clean kitchen. It affected our exams and we had to use the extenuating circumstances process at university. The situation was totally out of my control and now I always check the flood maps before I rent a property.”

The Environment Agency is spending more than £2.5billion to build flood schemes around the country, which will better protect 300,000 homes by 2021. Ahead of this winter it has also invested in more temporary flood barriers and high volume pumps which can be used at short notice right across the country – further improving the Environment Agency’s rapid flood response.

Check your flood risk here: https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk