Top 10 tips to reduce the impact of flooding on businesses

The news has been full of images of flooding in many parts of the country recently thanks to our “reliable” English weather. While the networks have been focusing on the impact on homes, businesses also suffer huge damages. Here are some tips for reducing the impact from Simon Crowther, Founder of Flood Protection Solutions.

1 Check your flood risk. There are many different types of flooding, so it is important to know your level of risk. You can get a flood report from ‘Know Your Flood Risk’

2 Be alert – sign up for the free Environment Agency Floodline Warning Service

3 Draw up a plan of how you’ll respond to a flood to keep you and your staff safe. Carefully think through how you will deal with any hazardous equipment and how to reduce the risk from polluting materials.

4 Create a ‘grab bag’ containing essential items such as antibacterial hand gel, spare keys, water etc. Make sure this bag is easily accessible – identify in your flood plan where it should be kept.

5 Flooding could destroy your computers so ensure you regularly back up your documents and data to a safe and secure storage, such as the cloud, Dropbox, etc.

6 There are new innovative ways to help protect your own business. Why resort to ineffective sandbags when there are more effective products? An example is the Water-Gate barrier from Flood Protection Solutions. Don’t forget that water can come up through the ground and drains. Non-return valves and pumps can help here.

7 Be resilient by minimising the damage floodwater causes if it does enter your building. No flood defence scheme can ever be 100% effective. Consider replacing carpets with tiles and raising electric sockets.

8 Familiarise yourself with how to shut off gas, electricity and water supplies at your office.

9 Store important documents higher up. Make sure they are easily accessible if possible.

10 If you are flooded, take lots of photos of the damage afterwards and make sure you wear rubber gloves – the water can be very contaminated.