Prepare a Flood Plan

Flooding can happen very quickly, giving you little time to act. Preparing a flood plan is the best way to protect yourself from the risk of flooding, or from the effects of flooding if the worst should happen.

Lady starting to write a flood plan on a blank notebook.

What is a flood plan?

If you live in an area that could be flooded (one in six households are at risk), you should write a plan outlining what you will do if flooding happens.

You should:

Keep it somewhere safe but easy to find
Put one in your emergency flood pack
Make sure everyone in your household or community group is familiar with your flood plan
Check it regularly to ensure that it is up to date

Remember: many properties are at risk of flash flooding even if they are located well above flood plains and away from rivers.

The Environment Agency has free flood plan templates which cover the basics.

Flood Plan Templates

Preparing a flood plan on a computer ready to print out.

Writing a flood plan - what to include

Preparing a flood plan makes sure you are well prepared in the event of flooding. It also helps you to keep your family, community, property and belongings safe. Here are some of the things that you should include:

Useful contacts

This could include:

Floodline
Your local council
Utilities providers
Your insurance company
Your local flood group

Trigger for action

This will help you to know when to act on your plan. Specific warnings about river flooding come from the Environment Agency’s Flood Warning Service called Floodline. You can sign up for free flood warnings online or by contacting Floodline on 0345 988 1188.

These warnings only cover the possibility of river flooding. If you think you might be at risk of other types of flooding, visit our 'Check flood risk' page.

Actions to take

You may wish to consider the following actions:

Turn off gas and electricity
Move important and valuable items to higher ground
Deploy property-level protection
Alert designated people and request their help
Move animals and livestock to safety

Flood kit

Prepare a flood kit or 'grab bag' of essential items to have to hand in case you should have to evacuate. For a list of items to include, visit our 'Flood Pack' page.

For more information, or help with preparing a flood plan from scratch, contact your local Environment Agency office at: [email protected].