News MBC asking residents to ‘be prepared’ for risk of flooding
With the recent heavy rainfall and weather forecasts of more to come, Maidstone Borough Council is reminding residents and businesses to be prepared for the risk of flooding and plan ahead of time in case they are affected.
The Council is backing the campaign, #PrepareActSurvive, led by the Environment Agency, which outlines the steps people need to take and what to do in the case of flooding.
Deputy Chair of the MBC Communities, Housing and Environment Committee, Cllr Simon Webb said:
It is important everyone familiarises themselves with steps to take if flooding occurs. Knowing what to do in a flood can significantly reduce the damages to a home and possessions, reduce risk to life and the likelihood of suffering from mental health impacts in the future.
As part of preparing, the Council is advising people to visit the Environment Agency website: www.gov.uk/check-flooding where they can access the most up-to-date information and to sign up for flood warnings which will alert them of risks of flooding which will contact them by phone, email or text when it is expected.
Cllr Webb continued:
We are asking everyone who potentially is at risk to get organised now and take steps to ensure they are prepared ahead of time and sign-up the Environment Agency Flood Alerts too.
Preventative steps for possible flooding include:
- To Sign up for flood warnings: flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings
- Have a flood kit of essential items at home
- Check the Environment Agency website for flood warning information: https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings
- If they see any blockages in watercourses to report them to the Environment Agency’s through a free 24- hour incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60
- Keep up to date on social media: @EnvAgencySE
Further flooding advice can be found on the Maidstone Borough Council website:
http://www.maidstone.gov.uk/home/other-services/seasonal-advice/tier-2-primary-areas/flooding-advice
Throughout periods when the area is at risk of flooding Maidstone Borough Council will continue to support the Environment Agency and carry out its humanitarian responsibilities.
MBC is also reminding residents that they are responsible for their own flood protection equipment which may include sandbags. If anyone believes their home is at risk they should purchase these from builders’ merchants now and store them at home ready to react quickly if there’s a problem.