What to Do If Your House is Flooding

If your house is flooding it’s important to take immediate action to prevent too much damage from happening to your property and possessions, but also to keep you and other household members safe. The last major floods that I remember were in 2007, and we were unable to drink the water. We had to fetch our water from certain tanks in the area. It made me realise just how much I took clean water for granted before. My younger brother was born at the time and was very premature. It was frightening that we didn’t have clean water to bathe him in, and we were worried for his safety so we stayed with family across the country where they weren’t affected by the flooding. This was only a glimpse into the reality of what it is like for those in poorer countries affected by flooding and water contamination.

Places like Tewkesbury are very prone to flooding, and you may be very worried if your house is on flood prone land. There are things you can do to prevent your house from being seriously flooded in the future but if it is already flooding, read on to find out what to do.

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Firstly, call an emergency plumber or the emergency fire service if there is really serious flooding, putting you and others in the house at danger. Whoever you call, they will have to identify the cause of the flooding as soon as possible. If the cause is heavy rainfall this will be more obvious, and the solution will be temporary housing, and sandbags to protect your home once it is safe to live in. Another possible cause could be a burst or broken pipe. It is likely that your water will be contaminated or unsafe to drink so do not use the tap water whilst this is happening. Firefighters or an emergency plumber will be able to tell you when your house is safe and if you can drink the tap water. Do not risk drinking it though as it could make you very ill.

If the cause of the flooding in your house is a broken pipe, you will have to contact a Drain Lining Company that can fix and re-line your drains for you. Visit https://www.wilkinson-env.co.uk/sewer-repairs-drain-lining-concrete-cutting/drain-lining/ for more information.

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Whilst you are waiting for help with the flooding, there are some things you should do to prevent any health hazards of flooding or damage. For example, you should turn off all of your electrical appliances. Move any valuables and important documents such as your passports and home insurance details out of reach of the flood water. Locate a torch as soon as you can in case you experience a power cut.

Most importantly, if your flooding is very serious, you must leave the property as soon as you can in order not to endanger yourself. Make sure that your pets and other household members are safely evacuated as well. This is crucial as to not put your lives at risk.