News MBC asking residents to ‘be prepared’ for risk of flooding
With the recent heavy rainfall and weather forecast of more to come Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) 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.
MBC’s Lead Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, Cllr Martin Round said:
It is important everyone familiarises themselves with steps to take if flooding should occur.Knowing what to do during 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 to the risk of flooding. This will then contact them by phone, email or text when it is expected.
Preventative steps for possible flooding include:
- To sign up for flood warnings with the Environment Agency go to:
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:
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:
Throughout periods when the area is at risk of flooding the 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.