Flood awareness

Flood Awareness 

All properties have some level of risk in terms of exposure to flooding, which is why it is so important to always be prepared to help protect your home, family and possessions in such an event.

Flooding can occur when the volume of rainfall exceeds the capacity of drainage systems (known as surface water flooding) or when the water level of a river, lake or stream rises and overflows onto the neighbouring land (known as fluvial or river water flooding). 

To help you remain prepared for any potential flooding, below are four key things you can do. 

• Find out the flood risk in your area 

You can use the following link to find out the risk of flooding in your area: 

https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk 

• Sign up for flood warnings 

If you live in an area with a higher risk of flooding from rivers, you can sign up to receive official flood warnings using the following link: 

https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings 

If you live in an area with a higher risk of flooding from surface water or flash flooding, there is no dedicated alert system. You can, however, sign up to the Met Office weather warnings which will warn you of heavy rain spells that often lead to surface water flooding. You can do this by using the following link: 

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings 

• Notify us 

If you think you are at immediate risk of flooding or have suffered from flood damage, please contact Gentoo on 0191 525 5000.  

We provide support through the provision of items such as sandbags and work with other civic agencies such as Sunderland City Council to ensure you receive all the support that is available to you. 

In the event of flooding, we will also complete a flood reliance survey to your property to limit your risk of exposure to and damage from future floods. 

Sunderland City Council also provide guidance in terms of who to contact in the event of a flood. This can be found using the following link: 

https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/17439/Report-flooding-blockages-and-water-pollution 

• Plan and prepare 

If you live in an area with a higher risk of flooding it is important to be prepared. There is a wide range of useful guidance contained in the links below: 

https://check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk/plan-ahead-for-flooding 

https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/article/17438/Preparing-for-flooding 

https://thefloodhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Household-flood-planning-guide.pdf