Click on the icons below to read more about what can be done to help reduce the impacts of flooding.
Whether you’re a homeowner, business owner, community or landowner there are a whole host of ways to help reduce the impacts of flooding and protect your property and land. By exploring the images below you’ll be able to see what’s out there to buy and also what you can do at home or together as a community.
So click on the tabs in the images below and take a step closer to becoming flood resilient!
Things the community and landowners can do
REDUCE SOIL COMPACTION: Compacted soil will increase the amount and speed of water runoff from the land, will increase soil erosion and decrease the soil’s productivity. Avoid working the land, heavy machinery and high stocking densities when it’s wet to reduce compaction of the soil.
DITCH CLEARANCE: Maintaining ditches by removing any accumulated silt, cutting grass, maintaining any trees or shrubs on the banks and removing any debris, reduces flow of runoff across land, so limiting soil erosion and flooding.
CONTOUR PLOUGHING: Ploughing across a slope rather than down the slope reduces the rate at which runoff flows off land, reducing the risk of flooding and limiting soil erosion.
WATERCOURSE MAINTENANCE: Maintaining watercourses by removing any accumulated silt, maintaining vegetation on the banks and removing any debris from the watercourse or structures, ensures that the watercourse is in best condition to cope with heavy rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding.
BRIDGE INSPECTION: Authority-owned structures like bridges, culverts and grilles/trash-screens are normally inspected regularly, but private or community-owned structures also need to be checked for any blockages, build up of silt or signs of damage.
FLOOD DEFENCES: Land owners or communities may be responsible for maintaining existing defences on their land as riparian owners. Communities may also be able to raise funds towards the construction of new flood defences where they are proven as needed to defend properties.
RAIN GARDENS: Rain gardens are small planted areas designed to receive rainwater from downpipes or paved areas, so that the water enters the soil, reducing the amount going into drainage and reducing the risk of flooding.
WATER BUTTS: Water butts are used to collect rainfall from roofs. The water can be used straight in the garden or carefully filtered and stored for reuse within the home.
RAIN GAUGES, TELEMETRY AND WARNING SYSTEMS: These systems are ideal for areas where there is no formal flood warning system. They provide round-the-clock monitoring of rainfall or river levels, alerting the community to any risk of flooding.
FLOOD STORE: A community flood and emergency store can help flood wardens and communities to respond quickly to flooding, by providing tools and equipment for flood prevention and minimisation, as well as post-flood clean-up.
FLOOD WARDEN: Flood Wardens are nominated to receive flood warnings and pass these onto the community. They are trained to help the community to prepare for flooding and know what actions should be taken during a flood.
DE-CULVERTING: Culverted watercourses (piped watercourses) are prone to blockages and restrict the flow of water during a flood. De-culverting or 'daylighting' watercourses can reduce the risk of flooding as well as providing biodiversity benefits and helping to maintain water quality.
UNDERGROUND STORAGE: Where there is insufficient land available for open flood storage such as swales or wetlands, flood water can be stored underground such as under car parks, to slow down and reduce the amount of runoff entering the drainage system.
GREEN ROOFS: Green roofs help soak up rain water and reduce water runoff from built up areas. Green roofs also increase biodiversity and wildlife, improve air and water quality, insulate the building and can provide amenity space.
PERMEABLE PAVING: There are many materials available to make parking areas permeable, which reduces the amount of runoff from them.
WETLANDS AND FLOOD ATTENUATION: Wetlands function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release surface water, rain, groundwater and flood waters.
TREE PLANTING: Planting tree belts, hedges and wooded areas can help soak up rainfall and slow down water runoff.
BANK CUTTING / TREE FELLING: Maintaining vegetation such as shrubs and trees on the banks of a watercourse ensures that the watercourse is in best condition to cope with heavy rainfall and reduce the risk of flooding.
SWALES / INFILTRATION: Swales are open channels which catch runoff and either store it to let the water infiltrate into the ground or transfer it somewhere safe. This reduces water runoff, restricts flood water, provides biodiversity benefits, and helps to maintain water quality.
PERMEABLE PAVING OF CAR PARKS: There are many materials available to make parking areas permeable, which reduces the amount of water runoff from them.
GREEN SPACE: Open green spaces can form a crucial part of flood management by providing space for managed flooding.
There are a vast number of ways to help reduce the risk of flooding to your community and so, in turn, to help reduce the risk of flooding to your own home. By acting as a community using the information in the points above, you’ll feel better prepared when heavy rainfall and flooding eventually come.
PROTECT BASEMENTS: Basements or cellars may be at risk of flooding from rising groundwater levels. They can be sealed using a 'tanking' system to make them completely waterproof. Basements may also need a pump for any water that seeps through.
PROTECT ENTRY POINTS FOR DRAINS, PIPES AND CABLES: Small holes where pipes and cables go through walls can allow flood water into a property. Sealant or other products can be used to block up these gaps.
PROTECT DOORWAYS: Doorways are the most obvious route for flood water to enter a building. Purpose-built doors are available which are entirely flood-proof, or removable barriers can be installed against the door opening.
PROTECT EXTERNAL WALLS: Some house constructions may allow flood water to seep through the walls, damaging the building. External walls can be rendered or sealed with a range of products to make them more water-proof. Brick buildings may also need to be re-pointed.
PROTECT AIR BRICKS: There are two ways of protecting air bricks from allowing flood water into a property. Temporary covers can be fitted over the air bricks in time of flood, or new air bricks can be installed which are flood proof.
PROTECT GARAGES: Garages may be attached to the property by a door and therefore represent a key route for flood water to enter the property. Garages themselves may also store valuable equipment which could be damaged by flooding. Garages can have barriers installed to prevent floodwater entering and protect equipment.
UNDERGROUND STORAGE: Where there is insufficient land available for open flood storage such as swales or wetlands, flood water can be stored underground such as under car parks, to slow down and reduce the amount of runoff entering the drainage system.
You can buy flood protection measures for your home, such as door barriers, air brick covers or pumps, from a number of different providers.
Northamptonshire County Council’s downloadable Flood Mitigation Measures guide provides a list of different products you can purchase from around the UK and includes a brief description of each along with a suggested cost, or why not take a look at the Know Your Flood Risk Campaign’s Homeowner’s Guide to Flood Resilience?
You may also want to take a look at our How to protect your home from flooding guide in the Flood Library for more information on what you can do to help reduce or stop the damage from flood water.
Things a business can do
PROTECT AIR BRICKS: There are two ways of protecting air bricks from allowing flood water into a property. Temporary covers can be fitted over the air bricks in time of flood, or new air bricks can be installed which are flood proof.
PROTECT DOORWAYS: Doorways are the most obvious source for flood water to enter a building. Purpose-built doors are available which are entirely flood-proof, or removable barriers can be installed against the door opening.
PROTECT BASEMENTS: Basements or cellars may be at risk of flooding from rising groundwater levels. They can be sealed using a 'tanking' system to make them completely waterproof. Basements may also need a pump for any water that seeps through.
SUMP AND PUMP: Built-in sumps with pumps are used for removal of flood water that enters a building. They can be used for seepage of groundwater into basements or for removing leakage through flood-resistance products.
PROTECT LOW WINDOWS: Similar to doorways, there are purpose-built windows that have been designed to be flood-proof, or removable barriers can be installed against window openings. Note that some buildings cannot withstand flood water deeper than 0.3m/1ft.
PERIMETER DEFENCES: Standalone permanent defences around the perimeter of the building or land protect a larger area and do not rely on the strength of the building to hold back flood water.
GREEN ROOFS: Green roofs help soak up rain water and reduce runoff from built up areas. Green roofs also increase biodiversity and wildlife, improve air and water quality, insulate the building and can provide amenity space.
PERMEABLE PAVING OF CAR PARKS: There are many materials available to make parking areas permeable, which reduces the amount of runoff from them.
If you’re a business owner we have more information available in our Flood Advice for Businesses guide, so have a read to find out how to reduce your risk of flooding.
You could also take a 10 minute self assessment of your business using our Business Continuity Planning – Self Assessmentproduced in partnership with Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
